The Master and his Slave
by Raven Deathstar
Summary: AU- Rei is a prince, and Kai is a powerful Lord. Their lands are at war with each other, constantly. When Rei in unknowingly taken as a slave by Kai, will he fall for the cold hearted Lord, and keep his heritage secret? yaoi COMPLETE
1. slavery

The Master and his Slave  
  
RF: Okay... this is my first Beyblade fic (even though it's AU) so bear with me... the characters are kind of OOC sorry!! PLEASE read and review!!!  
  
Warning: this is a yaoi fic, which means boy luving boy. No lemons, though.  
  
Disclaimer: ... me, own beyblades?... you have to be kidding...  
  
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"..." – speech  
  
'...' – thoughts  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
Rei Kon, Prince of the White Tiger clan, was completely and utterly bored. Sweeping his clearly bored golden gaze across the room, he found himself surrounded by nearly 50 advisors, all clearly (or supposedly, anyway) bent on the tribe's wellfare.  
  
Although he was only 16, he was already close to being the king of the White Tiger clan, a great "honour" though Rei could think of nothing more horrible than being the king. All he wanted was to be normal. Just to be friends with whoever he wanted, to do things that were deemed 'improper'- such as running around on the streets and just hanging around with his friends, not that he had many.  
  
But no, he was the prince, and soon to be king- his father's health was failing rapidly, and he was unable to do anything, slipping in and out of consciousness.  
  
How he would just love to run away, just to get away from all the richness and finery of the royal world...  
  
"An escape could be arranged, milord."  
  
Rei straightened instantly and glared at his best friend, Lee. The black haired boy just winked mischeviously at him, making sure that none of the advisors- who were currently arguing heatedly- could overhear them.  
  
Adopting a more serious tone, Lee carried on "If you wanted, Rei, I could bribe the guards away tonight, and you could just be free for one night. But you have to be back by tomorrow morning. Would you like that?"  
  
Rei didn't have to think about it long. Sure, there would be consequences, but who cared about them? He would be *free*.  
  
"Really?" Rei leant forward, his long raven locks half covering his face. Impatiently, he brushed them back. He inclined his head. "I am forever in your debt, Lee."  
  
The warrior chuckled softly. "You saved my life, Rei. All I'm doing is bribing guards. As soon as you hear a cuckoo sound-"  
  
"A cuckoo?" Rei interrupted, amusement obvious in his voice.  
  
Lee glared at him. "What do you want, a cat? We *are* neko jins. Everyone sounds like a cat."  
  
"I know..." Rei caught his scowl and quickly shut his mouth, and gestured for him to carry on.  
  
"A cuckoo sound, alright? Nothing else. If you find my body in the morning, then you'll know that I didn't succeed in bribing the guards." "Thank you."  
  
Lee nodded and quickly straightened into his normal stance by Rei's right hand side when one of the advisors approached Rei.  
  
Rei sighed. Why did tonight seem so far away?  
  
~*~  
  
Kai Hiwatari sat at his desk, checking the castle records. Everything seemed to be in order, yet...  
  
"Something's missing." Kai spoke aloud, his cold voice echoing throughout the empty room.  
  
But what what missing? He looked over the records again, and realised that there was a definite lack in servants.  
  
He rang a bell and almost instantly the commander of his army appeared by his side. Although he had a strong dislike for the blue haired boy, he knew that Takao was the best fighter.  
  
"Yes, milord?" Takao asked, keeping the distate from his voice. He hated Lord Hiwatari fiercely, though he would never dare say that aloud- he would be killed instantly, by Kai himself, who was a formidable fighter.  
  
"Buy me some slaves. I don't care from where. Just get me some slaves." Kai ordered, then made a flicking movement with his hand to show that the bluenette was dismissed.  
  
Gritting his teeth, and holding back a sharp retort, Takao bowed hesitantly and left the room. Where could he get slaves from? He gathered a small group of soldiers in the courtyard of the large castle.  
  
"Get me some slaves from the forbidden lands." Takao said, knowing very well that if they got some slaves from there, then no one would know, for hardly anyone crossed the borders between the lands- everyone was afraid that the fearsome neko jin -the cat people- clan, the White Tigers, would kill them.  
  
Not much was known on the elusive clan, other than that they were unbeatable warriors and mysteriously beautiful.  
  
"The Forbidden lands, sir?" one of the soldiers asked fearfully. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"  
  
Normally he would never speak back to his commander, but this was serious- they could all be killed.  
  
"Would I send you there if I wasn't sure?" Takao snapped, his meeting with Kai putting him in a horrid mood. "Besides, it's his Lord's orders."  
  
The soldiers didn't even hesitate before bustling off to march off. Nobody dared to disobey Lord Hiwatari.  
  
~*~  
  
Rei revelled in the fresh night air against his tanned skin, and a wide grin covered his face, revealing his fangs, which, though obvious, weren't as prominent as when he was angry.  
  
His slightly pointed ears picked up a sound in the bush nearby, and he whirled around, his night eyes searching around in the darkness.  
  
But there was nobody.  
  
Rei's eyes narrowed, and he wondered if Lee was playing a trick on him. Surely his best friend wouldn't sneak up on him like that...  
  
Lost in his thoughts, Rei didn't notice the large guard behind him until it was too late. Before he knew it, something large and heavy hit him on the head and he fell to the ground with a gasp, and was instantly unconscious.  
  
"Got one!" the guard crowed. "I think that's enough- we got 5 slaves, how many more do you need?"  
  
The others nodded, and dragged Rei along, back to the castle. When Rei awoke, he was lying on cold stone floor, and his wrists and ankles were manacled.  
  
"What? Where am I?" he demanded, looking around, his keen senses alert and ready for action.  
  
"You're a slave now." came a voice, and Rei found himself looking at a sturdy young man around the same age as him, with blue hair and brown eyes. A sword hung from his belt, classifying him as a warrior, and his clothes were of the finest silk, marking him as a noble.  
  
A warrior noble. How interesting, Rei thought briefly, before his mind registered what the boy had said.  
  
"A slave? But-" I'm the prince of the White Tigers, he was about to say, before quickly shutting his mouth.  
  
Hey, wasn't he the one that wanted to be normal in the first place? Although being a slave wasn't exactly what he had in mind, it would have to do. Anything was better than returning back to the White Tigers.  
  
"I'm sorry. But it's milord's wishes." The bluenette really did sound sorry.  
  
"That's alright." Rei said, and noted the look of surprise on the boy's face.  
  
"You aren't... I don't know... angry? Sad?"  
  
"Why should I be?"  
  
"Haven't you seen how slaves are treated?" the warrior noble sounded so sympathetic that it made Rei nervous.  
  
Something bad was going to happen to him. He just knew it.  
  
"They're sort of like servants, aren't they?" Rei asked, mystified. The White Tigers were against slavery of any sorts, so he had never come across a slave in his life. He had heard of them, and how the Eastern lands were up to their traitorous necks in slavery, but he had never thought that he would ever become a slave in his lifetime.  
  
"I guess... Except they're treated worse than dirt."  
  
"Oh." Rei's face fell.  
  
"What's your name, by the way? I'm Takao."  
  
"It's nice to meet you, Takao. I'm Rei." Rei couldn't help but like the brown eyed boy. He had a cheerful air around him that instantly attracted people to him.  
  
"Rei. That's an interesting name." Takao commented.  
  
Rei stiffened. He should have thought about how names differed in the Eastern Lands. Oh well. It was too late now.  
  
"Mmm." Rei said non commitedly.  
  
Takao was about to ask more, when a bell sounded, and a scowl darkened the boy's face.  
  
"Milord calls." he said bitterly, and gestured for Rei to follow him. "You were captured last, so naturally you were the last to wake up. We actually thought you wouldn't wake up until later, but you've made an extremely quick recovery."  
  
Rei blinked. "A quick recovery? But I don't feel any pain."  
  
Takao chuckled humourlessly. "You will later. We gave you pain killing herbs. They'll take away the pain, but only for a while."  
  
Rei groaned, a grimace on his face. "Great. Just great." he whispered to himself sarcastically.  
  
Takao overheard, and grinned a real grin. "Don't sound so sad! It's not going to hurt that much, just a slight bump on the head. You'll be fine."  
  
"I know... it's just all too much... a slave?" he sighed. "Surely it can't be that bad." he missed the sympathetic look that Takao gave him. "So where am I going?"  
  
"To meet the lord of this castle and these lands- Lord Kai Hiwatari. He's a cold hearted bastard with a short temper, so be careful, okay? I'll be in there with you, but I can't help you if you piss him off."  
  
Rei nodded, nervousness settling like lead in his stomach. This was bad. This was very, very bad.  
  
They stepped into a room, and Rei felt a chill settle over his body, and he shivered slightly.  
  
"My castle too cold for you, slave?" a voice so cold it made Rei shudder sounded through the room.  
  
Rei blinked as Kai Hiwatari stepped out from the shadows. He was actually rather pleasant to look at, Rei mused. With two toned slate hair and fierce crimson eyes, he *was* rather intimidating, but surely under all that ice there was a warm heart? He was obviously fit, with a lithe body and long, slender hands and feet, but deadly pale. Rei wondered briefly if this guy ever went outside.  
  
Kai studied the slave in front of him curiously. It wasn't often that Kai was curious in anything. Especially if it was human. A *beautiful* human. The slave had long, raven black hair which was bound tightly and hung down his back, reaching past his waist, and large, golden eyes, just like a cat. He was well toned, and agile looking, dressed in strange clothes- he had to be from the border.  
  
But that didn't matter anymore. He belonged to *him* now. He was Kai's, and Kai's alone.  
  
And why was that important? Kai wondered to himself. He actually sounded... protective.  
  
"What's your name, slave?" Kai demanded, coming to sit in front of the still standing boy, who blinked at him.  
  
"Rei Kon."  
  
The next second he was roughly backhanded into the wall. Rei gasped, anger bubbling furiously in his chest, all his instincts screaming at him to fight, to rip out this bastard's throat with his fangs... but he couldn't- he wasn't in his territory anymore, and Rei valued his life. Besides, the chains on his wrists and ankles stopped him from doing much.  
  
"You will call me sir, or my lord. Understand?" Kai snarled at the boy who glared at him from the ground. "Stand up!"  
  
Rei noted, with some discomfort, that the blue haired boy was taller than him, and most probably older by a few years, as he stood up so that he was standing face to face with Kai.  
  
"Now get to work." he snapped and went back to his desk.  
  
Takao quickly dragged the glaring Rei out the door, and along the corridor.  
  
"Is he always that grumpy?" Rei asked the warrior noble as they entered another chamber.  
  
"Yeah." Takao sighed. "You've just got to learn to stay on his reasonably okay side."  
  
"Don't you mean his good side?"  
  
"He doesn't have one." Takao laughed, then turned serious. "Believe me, Rei. He's a brilliant fighter. He would kill you instantly if he thought for one second that you were disobeying him."  
  
One fang slipped over his bottom lip and Rei growled softly. Who did that Kai person think he was anyway? Slapping him like that- if only he could fight back!  
  
But no, he was going to have to abide by the rules of this land now. What would Lee think of him, the best fighter in the Forbidden Lands, unable to fight?  
  
Rei felt like a bucket of cold water had been tipped over him. Lee! Lee would think that he was either dead, or had betrayed him and ran off! He groaned. This was not good- and his father's health was in serious question, and Rei was soon to become ruler, and he had just disappeared! This was really not good.  
  
"You okay there, Rei?" Takao asked, and there genuine concern in his eyes.  
  
The raven haired boy nodded weakly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Where are we going now?"  
  
"To your room. From now on you live here, and you wait on Lord Hiwatari hand and foot, okay?"  
  
Holding back a grimace, Rei nodded.  
  
Takao carried on. "You are a slave now, which means that you are now Lord Hiwatari's property." he smiled sympathetically. "I'm really sorry Rei. You seem like a decent fellow."  
  
A decent fellow? Rei's lips twitched into a smile. "Thanks, Takao."  
  
"You will serve Lord Hiwatari until you die. Milord has every right to whip you, or do as he pleases with you. You cannot wander outside the castle grounds. If found trying to escape you will be used as a public example to the inhabitants of the castle."  
  
Do whatever he pleases with you... Rei shuddered. That meant that the blue haired lord could kill him just because he was pissed off.  
  
His life was worthless.  
  
His life had gone from being worth his clan's life, to not even being worth dirt. Things were definitely not going to go well. At least he had one friend- Takao.  
  
He glanced up at the blue haired boy, who unlocked Rei's door, letting Rei look around his new room.  
  
It was incredibly small, with a handful of straw on the ground to serve as a bed. Rei was disturbed to see chains on the wall, along with what looked like dried blood on the floor. He stifled a gulp.  
  
Takao followed his line of sight and clapped Rei on the shoulder in a friendly gesture.  
  
"Good luck, Rei. I'll see you around." he started to move off.  
  
"Wait!" Rei yelled.  
  
"What?" Takao turned around, blinking clueless at the raven haired neko jin.  
  
"Two things- what do I do, and what about these chains?"  
  
Takao flushed, embarrassed. "Sorry, I tend to forget things. Well, you have to report to Lord Hiwatari at dawn tomorrow, and he'll inform you of your duties. Do you want me to wake you up?"  
  
"I should be fine." he woke up at dawn every morning anyway, so it didn't matter much- though his wound worried him. Perhaps it would knock him out again. "Yeah, you'd better wake me up. I don't think I quite know my way yet."  
  
Takao nodded. "And about your chains..." he bit his lip. "I'm afraid they have to stay on. I just remembered that I have to chain you to the wall each night. That means that I have to see you every morning anyway. I am sorry, Rei."  
  
"I know you are Takao, it's not your fault."  
  
"It is." Takao hesitated- he really did like Rei, and he didn't want the raven haired beauty to hate him, but he would feel better if he told Rei the truth. "I was in charge of getting slaves. I told my men where to look, and yeah..." he trailed off.  
  
Rei's eyes darkened briefly, but he smiled cheerfully. "That's alright."  
  
"So where exactly do you live in the Forbidden Lands? And what's it like?" Takao asked curiously, as he chained Rei to the wall.  
  
"I lived... on the border." Rei lied. "It's really nice. It's a bit more wild than here, not that I've stayed here long, so I don't really know."  
  
"It sounds nice..." Takao sighed enviously. "I wish I could get away from this hell hole."  
  
"You don't like it here? But you're a noble."  
  
Takao shot him a surprised glance. "How did you know I'm a noble?"  
  
"Your clothes... the way you walk, the way you talk... Everything about you screams of nobility." Rei grinned. "It's interesting that you're a *warrior* noble."  
  
"Yes." Takao looked thoughtful. "I suppose."  
  
"Why don't you like it here?"  
  
"Are you crazy? Lord Hiwatari, as I've said before, is a cold hearted bastard. He doesn't care about any of us, he just uses us to get his own ends. That's why he's so rich and powerful. Watch out for him, Rei, and especially his advisors. They won't hesitate to use you as their whore."  
  
"Their whore?!" Rei thundered, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I refuse to be used in that manner!"  
  
Takao stiffened when Rei's golden eyes turned into tiny slits, and what looked disturbingly like fangs protrude over his bottom lip.  
  
"What the hell?!" Takao jumped back, scrambling around for the door handle. He wasn't sure what was happening to the new slave, but he didn't want to find out.  
  
Rei held out one hand, stopping Takao in his tracks. "Wait! Takao, wait!" Takao hesitated, and dropped his arms to his side again. "Rei, what happened to you?"  
  
Rei sighed. "It's nothing important."  
  
"Yes it is! Your eyes... your teeth..."  
  
"You must have been hallucinating. All I did was tense up." Rei laughed, hoping that Takao would think nothing more of it.  
  
The blue haired boy looked dubious, but shrugged. "Whatever. I guess I'm more tired than I thought. Well, goodnight Rei."  
  
"Night."  
  
After the warrior noble had left, Rei picked at his chains, wondering whether he could escape after all- sure Takao had said that he would be punished if caught, but surely they wouldn't catch him?  
  
Using a thin piece of wire that he always kept on him -he was always prepared- Rei managed to get the chains off him, and he quickly slipped out of his room.  
  
Grinning impishly, he raced down the corridors, using his keen sesnses to find his way out. Surely there was a door around here somewhere...  
  
So involved in finding the door, Rei didn't notice the dark shadow by the foot of the stairs until too late.  
  
An arm shot out and grabbed him, making the neko jin cry out in pain. Why hadn't he heard the person? Hoping desperately that it was just Takao, and that the blue haired boy wouldn't be mad, Rei turned around and his heart sunk.  
  
He found himself looking into the coldest eyes he had ever seen. His mouth opened in horror, though no sound came out, and he instantly started struggling, all his instincts screaming at him to get far, far away. He had thought Kai was scary- this man was worse.  
  
"What do you think you're doing, slave?" the voice was enough to make Rei whimper in fear.  
  
Why, oh why, had he tried to run away? It had been a bad idea in the first place- he shouldn't have even *thought* about leaving the White Tigers.  
  
When Rei didn't answer, the man slapped him, hard. "Learn some respect, slave." he hissed, and dragged the extremely reluctant Rei behind him, into a dark chamber.  
  
"Verin!" the man yelled, and, almost instantly, a large, burly man came to stand by them.  
  
The man, Verin, cracked his knuckles menacingly as he glared at Rei. "How many, my lord?"  
  
My lord? Rei wondered, confused. But hadn't Kai been the lord of this castle? Who was this man?  
  
The man scrutinised Rei closely. "40. And consider it a warning, boy. Your punishment, if you dare to attempt another stupid escape, will be worse." he snapped, and left the room.  
  
Rei, out of the man's tight grasp, immediately tried to bolt to the door, but Verin grabbed him and held him back, chuckling darkly to himself.  
  
"Not likely, slave." he tore of Rei's shirt, and pulled Rei's arms up sharply, causing the black haired boy to wince, and chained them to the low ceiling. Rei struggled madly- he had a good idea of what was going to happen to him, and he didn't like it one bit.  
  
He had to get free... he just had to get free...  
  
He heard Verin test a whip out against the stone wall, and his heart beat increased wildly. No, this couldn't be happening... not to *him*...  
  
Sharp pain lanced across his back, and Rei released his breath sharply. Pain... so much pain... and he had to endure 39 more?  
  
Gritting his teeth- he would make it through this- Rei shut his eyes and tensed. He didn't have to wait long- another crack, and agony filled his entire body.  
  
After a few more whips, Rei slid out of consciousness, his every fibre aching fiercely, and he sobbed brokenly, unable to hold back his pain. When he came back into reality, he found himself lying in his chamber, and tried to stand up- and instantly regretted his choice.  
  
His back ached so much, he hadn't thought it was possible to be in so much agony. Rei felt tears slide down his cheeks, and he hastily wiped them away.  
  
He was *not* weak. He would get through this.  
  
Rei forced himself to stand up, and pulled on his shirt, trying his hardest to ignore the pain.  
  
Someone- presumably Takao- knocked on the door lightly before entering. As soon as Takao saw the blood on the ground, he shook his head. "You tried to escape? By the Gods, Rei, I thought you would have more sense than that."  
  
"Hey, I tried, didn't I?" Rei attempted a cheerful grin and failed entirely. "I want to go home, Takao. You don't understand how important it is to me. I'm needed at home, and badly. My cl- family can't survive without me." he knew that sounded selfish, but he didn't care- it was true. No one else knew how to rule the White Tigers.  
  
Takao sighed angrily. "You don't understand, do you, Rei? You're a slave now, and nothing you do will change that. You can't go home, unless your family has enough money to buy you. And they don't know where you are- that's why you were taken from the Forbidden Lands."  
  
Rei slammed his fist against the wall, frustration bubbling inside his chest. Everything was so *pointless*. He couldn't tell Takao that he was the prince, and soon to be king- that would just mess things up even more. The Eastern Lands and the Forbidden Lands had been at war for *ever*. He let out his breath slowly, inwardly counting to ten. Calm again, Rei faced Takao.  
  
"Okay. So are you going to take me to Lord Hiwatari or not?" Takao nodded, and they walked down the corridors in silence.  
  
"By the way... Takao, who is this man?" Rei described the man that Verin had called 'my lord' the night before.  
  
Takao paled, and he grinned Rei's forearm tightly. "You saw Lord Hiwatari?"  
  
Rei frowned, confused. "But I thought that blue haired man was Lord Hiwatari?"  
  
Takao let out a groan of frustration. "This is hard to explain. There are two Lord Hiwataris. Well, actually the man you saw yesterday, with the blue hair, is Lord Kai, but most of the time we just call him Lord Hiwatari when the *real* Lord Hiwatari isn't home."  
  
"So who's Lord Hiwatari?" Rei asked curiously.  
  
Takao shuddered. "He's Lord Voltaire Hiwatari, the King's closest advisor and Lord Kai's grandfather."  
  
Rei gave an appreciative whistle. "So he's pretty powerful, huh?" he had heard the name Voltaire before- he was the one that had ordered the killing of 70 neko jin prisoners. They were still incredibly bitter over that, though none of the neko jin prisoners had been from the White Tiger clan. None of the prisoners that the neko jins took in were treated badly, and freed after a while.  
  
"Yeah." Takao nodded, and let go of Rei's forearm, and they continued walking down the corridor. "Now *he* is nasty. Whatever you do, as soon as you so much glimpse him, run. Don't worry if you'll be punished by Lord Kai afterwards, this man is much, much worse."  
  
Rei nodded. Lord Hiwatari had proved that at their encounter last night. Takao stopped walking outside a chamber with the letters KH engraved on it. "Here we are." Takao whispered. "Good luck, Rei." they shook hands and Takao walked off.  
  
Rei opened the door, sucking in a deep breath. He found Lord Kai seated behind his desk, glaring angrily at a piece of paper. Crimson eyes peered up at him as he cleared his throat gently.  
  
"What?" Kai snapped, watching the raven haired boy fidget nervously in front of him.  
  
"My duties, my lord." Rei said, his voice soft and submissive, though secretly he was bubbling with anger. He hated Kai Hiwatari.  
  
"What about them?" Kai demanded. He wondered vaguely what it would feel like to run his fingers through the slave's lustrous black hair.  
  
"I don't know what I have to do, my lord. Takao said that you were going to tell me...?" Rei trailed off uncertainly. Perhaps Takao had been wrong.  
  
"Of course." Kai mentally cursed himself- what was doing, making a fool of himself in front of a *slave*. "From now on you serve me, and me only."  
  
Him only? Rei felt a grin tug at his lips. Kai must've noticed, because he quickly added "You must do what nobles wish, but if they demand some obscure, then you have the right to denny their wishes."  
  
Rei nodded, casting his eyes to the ground sadly. There seemed no end to this toture. He wondered vaguely what Lee was doing right now. Was he sad that Rei had disappeared? Worried? Angry?  
  
"Are you paying attention?" Kai snapped.  
  
Rei immediately blinked and focused his attention of the angry figure of the slate haired boy in front of him. "Yes." he hastily added "my lord."  
  
Kai nodded, a satisfied smirk on his lips. "Good. You will remain by my side all the time, until I dismiss you."  
  
Rei bit the inside of his cheek. Remain by *him* all the time? He was surely going to be driven into madness...  
  
"Do you understand?" Kai snapped.  
  
"Yes, my lord." Rei gave a small sigh, and looked around the room. It was bare, and as boring as a room could get. Hadn't Kai ever heard of decorations?  
  
"Sit." Kai gestured for the neko jin to sit on the floor. "Now start scrubbing." Rei noticed the bucket and scrub that were next to Kai's desk and his eyes narrowed dangerously, before he calmed down and bowed.  
  
"Of course, my lord." he spat the words out as if they were poison.  
  
Kai smirked and carried on working, though he couldn't help but glance at the sud covered figure that scrubbed the floor steadily, occasionally flicking a strand of hair out of his eyes.  
  
Suddenly he realised what the feeling that nagged at the back of his mind was.  
  
Love.  
  
Kai gave a growl of anger. No way was he in love with some common born slave that he had only just met the day before! This was all stupidity. He was just tired, that was all.  
  
Rei glanced up at him, obviously surprised at the blue haired boy's outburst.  
  
"Are you alright, my lord?"  
  
"I'm fine." Kai grounded out, glaring so hatefully at Rei that the raven haired boy flinched.  
  
Was it possible to contain that much hate? Rei wondered, watching as Kai went back to work. Rei couldn't help but notice how beautiful the noble was.  
  
He shook his head and went back to scrubbing the floor. Being a slave was doing strange things to his mind... how could he possibly think of Kai as *beautiful*?  
  
He hadn't known the crimson eyed boy for long, but he didn't like him. Or so he told himself forcefully again and again.  
  
Then why did his stomach do a little flop everytime he glanced at Kai?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
RF: And that's the end of the first chapter! Please read and review!! I'll give you chibi kai plushies!!! ^-^ 


	2. A fight and Max

RF: Reply to some of the reviews (sorry... I won't reply to all of them, cuz I don't have the time... damn school... T_T) OMG... I still can't believe how many reviews I got... O______O thank you all so much!!!!  
  
lilmatchgirl- nah I'm not gonna torture Lee. Well, not too much. I'm going to make it that no one knows what happened, and they think that Rei dies. A fight scene? *grins mysteriously* you'll have to wait and see... muhahaha  
  
Bonnie/max/rei- umm.. sorry, I should have explained that better- well the Forbidden Lands and the Eastern Lands are at war, so having the prince as a hostage would be kinda bad... does that make sense? I'm not good at explaining *sweatdrop*  
  
Elves of the Moon- umm.. Kai's just confused that's why he's acting so harsh towards Rei, and also because he just met him. And yeah, Kai was absued by his grandfather when he was a little kid- that's another reason why he's so cold.  
  
Warning: this is a yaoi fic, which means boy+boy  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblades (wish I did though... *sigh*)  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"..." – speech  
  
'...' – thoughts  
  
*...* - emphasis/ accents  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 2  
  
By the time Rei had finished cleaning the floor, his back ached more than usual. The painkilling herbs had worn off, and his head felt like it was going to split open.  
  
Wondering whether asking for a rest and a drink was against the rules, Rei sat back on his heels and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. He decided it was, and instead kept quiet.  
  
"You finished, slave?" the cold voice seemed to somewhat placate his headache, surprising him.  
  
Rei nodded, his throat too parched for words.  
  
"Answer me!" Kai demanded harshly. He had to hear that smooth voice again. He just *had* to.  
  
"Yes, my lord." Rei croaked out, and Kai frowned.  
  
His crimson eyes searched around the room until they fell on the glass of water sitting on his desk, and he picked it up and handed it to the slave. "Here. Drink. I don't need you dying on me." Kai commanded, his cold voice hiding the emotions he felt.  
  
Rei glanced up at him, and found himself lost in crimson depths. He felt all the air leave his lungs, and his golden eyes widened. What was that... feeling... that was pulling at his stomach?  
  
He gave a growl of anger at himself and reached out for the drink. An electric shock seemed to pass from Kai to Rei as their hands touched, and Rei jumped back immediately, a light blush on his tanned cheeks.  
  
Kai bit his lip, and quickly stuffed his hands into his pockets, trying to hide the fact that they were shaking.  
  
What's happening to me? Kai wondered, as he sat back down at his desk. He gritted his teeth, and slammed his hand on his desk, startling Rei who dropped his glass which smashed as soon as it hit the stone floor.  
  
"Get out of my sight!" Kai yelled at him.  
  
Rei stared at him in shock then scampered out of the room. He supposed that could have called that a dismissal... Rei grinned. He was free for the rest of the afternoon!  
  
He hesitated at the door, wondering whether he should stay and make sure that his lord was all right... and clear up the glass as well.  
  
Glancing behind him, Rei saw Lord Kai sitting at his desk, staring stonily at a piece of paper. He guessed that the blue haired boy had gotten over whatever fit had taken him before.  
  
Rei bit his lip, wondering how someone so beautiful could be so cold.  
  
"Hey, Rei!" Rei turned around saw Takao running towards him accompanied by a slender blond with large blue eyes and a handful of freckles.  
  
"Takao." Rei greeted him happily and glanced searchingly at the blond.  
  
The blond grinned cheerfully, his eyes simply shining with innocence. "I'm Max!" he said happily. "You must be Rei! I've heard a lot about you. I'm the jester, by the way."  
  
The jester? Kai had a jester? Rei's lips twitched into a smirk. Well it didn't do the cold hearted lord any good.  
  
Rei wondered vaguely if he had a heart...  
  
If only I was the one to steal it... Rei thought to himself wistfully before regaining his senses. What the hell? Me- steal Lord Kai's heart? Am I crazy??  
  
He decided not to answer that question and instead just mentally smacked himself on the head.  
  
I am insane, Rei thought firmly. I am extremely insane.  
  
"Rei? Rei are you okay, buddy?" Takao and Max peered anxiously at him. Rei gave a forced grin, and started to walk along the corridor with Max and Takao.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit sleepy, that's all."  
  
Takao's face darkened. "Yeah... is your back okay?"  
  
Rei was surprised that he would remember- after all, who was he but an unimportant slave?- about his beating the night before.  
  
"Yeah, it's fine. Sore, but fine. Umm.. do you have any more of those painkilling herbs?"  
  
Max laughed, and handed him a handful of crushed leaves. "I thought you might want some more." seeing the surprised look on the raven haired boy's face, Max started to explain. "My mother's the healer. Her name's Judy- you might see her around sometime."  
  
Rei nodded. It was good to know that he had friends in the castle- the only friends that he had had in the White Tigers were Lee, Gary, Kevin and Mariah. But Gary and Kevin, though nobles, were hardly free to play with him, and Mariah was a princess of another neko jin clan, and they only met at public occasions.  
  
"Do you want us to give you a tour of the castle?" Max asked, and Takao nodded eagerly.  
  
Although all Rei wanted to do was lie down and muse over his feelings about a certain well shaped, blue haired, crimson eyed someone, he nodded and quickly chewed and swallowed the painkilling leaves. "Let's go!"  
  
They wandered around the castle grounds (a/n: when I said that Rei wasn't able to leave the castle, I meant the castle grounds) until dark fell and Takao had to get back to his guard duties.  
  
Max and Rei walked back to the castle, a companiable silence replacing conversation, and Max made his farewells at the door, saying he had to return to the servants quarters.  
  
Rei was walking back to his rooms when Lord Hiwatari caught him unawares again, grabbing his arm.  
  
"Give these to my son, slave." he commanded and pressed a thick wad of paper into the neko jin's hands. "And no reading." he sneered. "Not that you can read, anyway, you pathetic excuse of a man."  
  
Rei bristled with anger, but kept his tongue -and claws- in check. Attacking the lord of the castle wasn't exactly the best idea. Not after those 40 lashes the night before.  
  
"What are you waiting for, slave? The sun to rise? Go!" Voltaire snapped, and Rei quickly scampered off.  
  
He knocked timidly at Kai's door. Rei felt his heart sink a bit when there was no answer. He had been looking forward to seeing Kai again for some reason that he couldn't explain.  
  
Rei opened the door and silently entered the room. The sight that awaited him took his breath away.  
  
It was Kai... but he was fast asleep, slumped over his desk, head resting in his arms, his two toned hair tousled, framing his face which was wiped clear of all emotions, giving him an almost angelic look.  
  
Rei held his breath, feeling as if he breathed he would break the moment. Hesitantly he approached the sleeping boy and gently placed the papers on his desk, far away from Kai's head.  
  
Rei leaned on the doorway for a second, resisting the urge to brush away the slate coloured bangs away from the pale skin. He just stood and watched Kai sleep for a while, before turning away reluctantly and started to walk out the door.  
  
He heard a small whimper behind him and whipped around, expecting to find someone else in the room.  
  
Looking around, he saw that there was no one else in the room. Frowning, Rei turned away again. He could've sworn he had heard someone whimper.  
  
Rei jumped- there it was again! This time, when he turned around, he heard another small moan of distress and was shocked when he saw that the sounds had been coming from Kai.  
  
A frown had replaced the peaceful expression on his face before, and his mouth was set in a grim line.  
  
Rei knelt by his side, peering at his face, not sure what to do- should he leave him alone and pretend that he hadn't heard or seen anything? No- he couldn't leave Kai- he was obviously in pain.  
  
Rei hesitantly reached out and touched Kai's cheek. To his surprise- and pleasure- the blue haired boy leaned into his touch, obviously enjoying it. The frown disappeared, and Rei grinned, and stroked Kai's cheek comfortingly.  
  
~*~  
  
Kai had been lost in the shadows, stumbling around blindly, when suddenly light -beautiful, pure light- shone through, piercing the darkness with its rays.  
  
He felt someone cup his cheek, and he leaned into the touch, knowing that it was all a dream, yet he didn't want to open his eyes and find nothing there.  
  
He wanted this dream to last- yet they never did. The comforting presence had taken to stroking his cheek, making Kai sigh contentedly.  
  
He sighed inwardly, and forced himself to open his eyes. He had to get on with his work. Voltaire would whip him again if he hadn't finished signing and sealing the documents.  
  
Rei froze when he saw Kai's eyes open, and immediately withdrew his hand, holding his breath fearfully.  
  
"My lord! I- I didn't mean-!" he broke off, and retreated a few steps.  
  
Kai stared at him openly, not sure of what to say or do. Hesitantly he touched his own cheek, and felt the warmth that rolled off his skin in waves. Someone had been stroking his cheek. He was sure of it.  
  
"You, slave, what-?" he demanded, all eloquency and calmness gone.  
  
Kai watched as the expressions on Rei's face changed from nervous to petrified. The raven haired boy probably thought that he was going to punish him.  
  
Kai smirked, though there was no hint of maliciousness or unkindness in it. "I'm not going to whip you. Now tell me, what happened?"  
  
"I came... I came to drop off the papers." Rei stammered, not knowing why he felt so nervous. He was afraid of no one, especially not some lord. Some *beautiful* lord, his treacherous mind whispered.  
  
"And you were having nightmares, I think." Rei was quickly regaining his confidence. "Are you alright, my lord?"  
  
"I'm fine." Kai hesitated then pulled the neko jin close. "You tell no one of this, do you understand? Rei."  
  
Rei jumped, startled, at the blue haired boy's use of his name. Kai couldn't help but smile. "That *is* your name, isn't it?"  
  
Rei nodded, and smiled back, thinking about how gentler Kai's face seemed when he smiled.  
  
There was the sound of a door slamming in a chamber close by and Kai hissed in surprise, and grabbed Rei, looking around wildly.  
  
"Kai! I hope those documents are ready!" Voltaire's voice floated into their earshot, and Rei wondered why Kai seemed so nervous.  
  
"Hide, you dolt, hide!" Kai hissed and shoved Rei under his desk. "Don't you dare say a word."  
  
Rei nodded, his golden eyes wide and anxious in the shadows under the desk. He peered through a hole in the smooth, polished wood of the desk at the figure of Voltaire who stalked into the room.  
  
He looked angry, and Rei could feel the muscles in Kai's leg, which was pressed against his cheek, tense up.  
  
What was so wrong about meeting his grandfather? Rei wondered. Sure, the guy was scary, but there was no reason for him to hide!  
  
Kai stood up and Rei immediately missed the warmth that the boy's legs had provided (a/n: for all the hentais out there... get your mind out of the gutter!).  
  
"Here. These are all the documents." the sound of paper rustling drifted into Rei's earshot. It seemed that Kai had lured Voltaire to the other side of the room.  
  
"Hn." Voltaire grunted. "Did that slave give you the papers that you needed?"  
  
There was a pause, in which Rei presumed Kai nodded, since he heard Voltaire give a satisfied grunt.  
  
"That slave... he's beautiful." there was an amused note in Kai's grandfather's voice.  
  
"And?" Kai's voice was void of any emotion, but Voltaire noted that his grandson's fists were tightly clenched.  
  
Kai wondered where the conversation was going. Perhaps Voltaire was playing with him, trying to get him to admit something he'd rather not. Kai didn't trust Voltaire one bit.  
  
"There's been an offer for him. Around 700 gold nobles, just for one night." "Who?" Kai asked tightly. He had the urge to rip that person's head off their shoulders. How *dare* they try to take Rei away from him?  
  
Kai started- since when had he called the slave by his name, and since when had Rei been *his*? Surely the prospect of money was better than protecting some slave?  
  
Hidden under the desk, Rei bit his hand to stop from screaming. Oh Gods, he was going to be passed around all the lords as a whore...  
  
"Lord Michael. Remember him? He saw the slave the other day and was wondering whether-"  
  
"No." Kai snapped, knowing that he was going to regret saying so soon. Voltaire frowned, and he took a step forward, growling menacingly in the back of his throat.  
  
"How dare you interrupt me, boy!" he yelled, and slapped Kai roughly, leaving a large, red imprint on the blue haired boy's face.  
  
Kai stumbled back a few steps, but glared back at his grandfather. "I refuse to let him be used as Michael's concubine."  
  
Rei bit down harder when he heard a loud crash, and the sound of a suppressed groan.  
  
Blood dripped down his arm as he took out his anxiety on his hand. Kai was being beaten by his grandfather and he could do nothing about it. Rei gritted his teeth and a tear leaked out the corner of his eyes.  
  
He had to help him. Kai was being beaten over him, and there he was- hiding like a coward.  
  
Anger rose inside his chest, and his golden eyes thinned into tiny slits, his fangs lengthened and his nails sharpened (a/n: dunno if it actually happens in the anime, but I thought it'd be cool if he had claws as well ^- ^) into claws.  
  
Rei slipped out from under the desk and launched himself at Voltaire, startling both him and Kai. He saw the look of horror on Kai's normally placid face and the look of absolute shock on Voltaire's face and grinned almost maniacally.  
  
Voltaire put up a good fight, Rei had to admit, but the lord was old, and no match for Rei, the best fighter in all of the Forbidden Lands. Rei sunk his claws into Voltaire's skin, revelling in the man's howl of pain and anger, before jumping back and delivering a swift kick to the king's advisor's chest, winding him.  
  
Rei knew that he was probably going to be killed. There was no way he was ever going to get away with attacking one of the most powerful men in the eastern lands.  
  
And the Forbidden Lands as well, Rei mused to himself as he landed several quick punches and kicks to the half bent figure of Voltaire Hiwatari. Suddenly the old man struck back, surprising Rei, hitting him squarely on the chest, knocking the neko jin into the wall. Kai's grandfather suddenly pulled a knife out of his boot, and made to drove it into Rei's heart, but the raven haired boy twisted sharply, and it was buried deep into his shoulder instead.  
  
Ignoring the stars that danced in front of his vision and the sharp pain in his shoulder, Rei pulled himself onto his feet and, with a fierce snarl, tackled Voltaire to the ground and slashed the flailing body swiftly, not sure of what he was doing, but just desperate to stop Voltaire from hurting Kai anymore.  
  
He was dimly aware of someone pulling him back, but he kept on slashing away. Finally his senses returned to him, and Rei realised that what he thought was a struggling Voltaire in front of him was a mutilated body. Rei stared at it in shock, before he fell onto his knees, and buried his head in his hands.  
  
"Oh Gods.. oh Gods... what have I done?" Rei whispered, drawing in shallow and rough breaths.  
  
There was no way that he was going to get away with this. He was going to be tortured, then executed... he had just killed the King's closest advisor...  
  
He felt two arms circle his slim body, and he flinched. Twisting around, he stared into Kai's compassionate crimson eyes.  
  
"I- I didn't mean..."  
  
"Thank you." Kai said softly, and hugged Rei gently, placing his hand in Rei's.  
  
Rei gasped quietly. He had just killed the boy's grandfather in front of his eyes - sure, the old man had been abusing him, but still, they were family- and here he was, comforting him. And thanking him?  
  
Suddenly the full impact of what he had done hit Rei, and he clutched Kai's hand tighter.  
  
Voltaire was dead, gone. And he wasn't coming back.  
  
He had killed the king's closest advisor and Kai's grandfather.  
  
These thoughts flashing through his mind, Rei passed out.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well, I hope that is long enough... hehehe I killed Voltaire, ^-^ PLEASE REVIEW!!! And no flames please!! 


	3. Enter Tala

OO  
  
Me is in shock...  
  
Is it possible to get that many review for 2 chapters?!?!?!  
  
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! XD  
  
I can't reply to your reviews, unfortunately, cuz I'm stuck writing this in a place that doesn't have internet gasp of horror  
  
I'll try to put this up as quickly as possible, and I'm sorry that it isn't as long as the other chapters- this one was harder to write than the others.  
  
Just as a reminder- this IS a KaiRei fic, I'm just adding Tala in the mix for fun. He's just here to make Kai jealous evil chuckle  
  
Warning: this is a yaoi fic, which means boy boy. Don't like, don't read.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblades.  
  
"..." – speech  
  
'...' – thoughts  
  
... - emphasis/ accent  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Kai stared at the prone figure in his arms, then at the mutilated mess that had been his grandfather.  
  
Relief seemed to flood out of his every pore- he was gone.  
  
His grandfather, Voltaire, who had haunted every second of his life, was finally dead. Kai looked again at the slave who had, in a sense, saved his life. Gratefulness flooded his senses, and Kai felt the sudden urge to kiss away the frown that marred Rei's beautiful face.  
  
He shook himself, and reminded himself that emotions were weak, and unwanted. He was not a weakling.  
  
Kai checked Rei's pulse, and was glad to find that the boy was fine, just probably in shock.  
  
But now came the dilemna- how on earth was he going to explain Voltaire's death? Kai racked his mind, and decided to feed the corpse to the animals that he kept in his menagerie, and just say that Voltaire had left sometime during the night.  
  
He smiled coldly, and stood up, cradling the unconscious neko jin in his strong arms.  
  
Rei whimpered in his state of unconsciousness, and Kai hesitantly traced Rei's jawline with a long finger, revelling in the feel of the smooth, flawless skin under his touch.  
  
Protectiveness coursed through his veins like fire, igniting a burning in his heart that Kai couldn't explain.  
  
Surely he wasn't in lo- Kai shook his head. He had gone over this before. He was not in love. And that was the end of that.  
  
He forced himself to pull his hand away from Rei's now peaceful face, and strode down the hall, and into the slave's quarters.  
  
Unease rose in the blue haired boy when he saw the blood that stained the mouldy hay. Had Rei been injured by someone without Kai's knowing?  
  
Kai peered around the room, and decided that the small, cell like room was no place for someone like Rei to stay. The slave could stay in his own quarters.  
  
'For now, anyway', Kai thought hastily. 'No longer than a day. Or two.'  
  
He walked to his own rooms, and placed Rei on his bed, and covered him with blankets, making sure that the raven haired boy was comfortable. Why was he so concerned for the slave's welfare anyway? He should be more concerned over getting rid of his grandfather's body.  
  
Kai gave a sigh and reluctantly left the room, after shooting a final glance at the sleeping neko jin.  
  
He returned to his study, and glared at the body on the ground as if he expected it to suddenly heal and rise again.  
  
After a moment of silence, Kai fed the remainder of Voltaire to the carnivores that he kept in his menagerie, then returned to his office, and realised, for the first time in his life, he was free to do whatever he wished. He was able to have a lover, and it didn't matter what gender, or what class, but someone whom he genuinely loved, and nobody would be able to do anything about it.  
  
He allowed himself a small smile, then started planning out what he was going to do first. First of all he was going to start peace talks- perhaps with the clans that were on the border between the Eastern and Forbidden lands. Then, perhaps, he could even negotiate a sort of peace treaty with the White Tiger clan.  
  
Hours passed by as Kai planned everything out, to the tiniest detail. His concentration was finally shattered when there was the sound of a soft yawn came from behind him, and Kai whipped around, his reflexes reacting at once, his muscles tensing as they prepared for a fight.  
  
Instead all he found was Rei standing at the doorway that was behind his desk, that connected his rooms and his study together. The neko jin's hair had somehow escaped the ribbon that usually tied it up, and his long black locks hung down his back. His half lidded, tired golden eyes peered curiously at him.  
  
"You're awake." Kai's curt voice hid what he felt at the sight of the half asleep boy in front of him. "Took you long enough."  
  
"My lord." Rei bowed his head respectfully.  
  
He was inwardly buzzing with anxiety and curiosity- how in the seven realms did he end up in Kai's bed?? At least he presumed it was Kai's bed- no other room could be so highly and richly furnished. Something tugged at the back of his mind, something important... but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what had happened.  
  
Kai paused, then asked "How are you feeling?"  
  
Rei blinked, surprised. The seemingly cold lord was worried about him? He was worried over some unworthy slave?  
  
"Fine, thank you, my lord." There was a twinge of pain in his shoulder, but he couldn't remember how he had hurt himself. Perhaps he had hit his shoulder before he had passed out. But why had he passed out? The more questions he asked, the more his head ached, and finally Rei decided that he would remember in his own time.  
  
"That's good." Kai nodded shortly and tried to concentrate on his work. But he couldn't get his mind to focus on his work, and he was constantly aware of the presence of the neko jin at his back. "What are you waiting for, slave?"  
  
Rei flinched at his uncaring tone. Perhaps Kai wasn't worried about him after all. "I- I..." he flushed when Kai raised one eyebrow mockingly. "What should I do, my lord?"  
  
"Rest." A smirk tugged at Kai's lips, and Rei stared at him, puzzled, then bowed.  
  
"Of course my lord." he started to walk out the other door, but a hand shot out and grabbed his arm, preventing him from going any further.  
  
"No. In my room." Kai wondered whether he was pushing his luck when the other boy went a deep crimson and began to stammer out a protest.  
  
Pushing his luck? Kai laughed inwardly. He was the lord of this castle, which meant that if he wanted, he could have Rei warm his bed at night. No- he had promised himself that he would never, ever do that to any of his servants. Or slaves, for that matter.  
  
Unaware of the internal battle that was raging inside Kai, Rei approached the bluenette and knelt beside him.  
  
"My lord?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice. He wished that he didn't sound so clueless, so naive, but the conversation was confusing him.  
  
"You shall remain in my rooms from now on." Kai smiled kindly at the scared expression on the neko jin's face. "Relax. I'm not going to bite."  
  
'But I might...' Rei thought, grinning inwardly. 'Not that I'd mind if he bit me...' he immediately pushed the thoughts out of his mind. Kai was a lord, and even though Rei was a prince, there was no way that he would be allowed to form a bond with Kai- their lands had been at war with each other for as long as Rei could remember.  
  
Kai couldn't read any of the emotions that clouded the slave's golden orbs. He smirked and stood up, pulling the raven haired boy to his feet.  
  
"Come." Kai started the short walk to his rooms through the back door, after glancing behind him to make sure that Rei was following him.  
  
They entered Kai's rooms and Kai gestured at Rei to sit down. He did so, not sure of what to do or say in the presence of the silent, crimson eyed lord.  
  
Kai was rumaging through his second room, which was linked to the room that Rei was in. When he came out again, he was carrying a towel and shampoo and conditioner.  
  
"Here." seeing Rei's confusion, he carried on "Some bathing things. I presume that you do want to have a bath? Unless you want to go around smelling like something dead?"  
  
"I do not smell like something dead!" Rei growled, surprising both him and Kai.  
  
The blue haired boy raised an eyebrow inquisitively and laughed- a genuine, low baritone chuckle that seemed to fill the room.  
  
Rei looked mortified. "I'm sorry, my lord! I didn't mean to-"  
  
Kai placed a finger on his rose coloured lips, wondering at their softness.  
  
'They must taste delicious...' Kai thought, somewhat dreamily. Rei immediately fell silent, hardly daring to breathe. Their gazes locked together, and Rei found himself drowning in crimson orbs, which spoke volumes of pain and -could it be?- love.  
  
Kai suddenly pulled away, rather abruptly, and walked over to the other side of the room, refusing to meet Rei's prying golden eyes.  
  
Disappointed, Rei looked down at his feet. He was disgusting, he was worthless- why else would Kai turn him away?  
  
Rei stood up, and started to silently pad across the floor, thinking that Kai wouldn't want to remain in the same room as him.  
  
He was surprised when Kai glanced at him and shook his head. "The bathroom is that way." the older boy gently pushed him into the small chamber and hung the towel up on a hook that was on the wall.  
  
Kai pulled on a piece of rope that hung from the ceiling, and water flooded into the large, circular object that sat at the center of the room.  
  
"How's your shoulder?"  
  
"How did you know that my shoulder hurt?" Rei knew that he was probably in disrespectful, but he had to know- there were so many unanswered questions.  
  
Kai had been wondering why Rei hadn't asked about Voltaire- and now he knew. The raven haired boy had forgotten all about his and Voltaire's fight. He reached out and swiftly slipped Rei's tunic off. He gently stroked the quickly healing wound on Rei's shoulder and made sure that it wasn't infected.  
  
"Can't you remember what happened?"  
  
Fear coursed through Rei, and suddenly it all came crashing back to him- Kai sleeping, Kai and Voltaire's argument, then him fighting with Kai's grandfather...  
  
Frightened golden eyes turned to watch him warily, as if they expected him to give him a beating.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." Kai assured him, not sure why he felt so protective of the raven haired beauty. If it had been Takao, or that always happy jester, Max, then he wasn't sure how he would've reacted.  
  
"D- did I kill him?" Rei asked fearfully, thinking back to how he had kept slashing at Voltaire's body. He was pretty sure that the older man was dead, but he just had to make sure.  
  
"Who, Voltaire?" Kai raised an eyebrow, thinking about the remains of his grandfather. "Most definitely." He checked the wound again, then started to walk out of the chamber. "Take as long as you want. If the water starts to get cold, tell me."  
  
Rei nodded mutely. The White Tigers didn't have any of this luxury- they had always bathed in rivers or lakes, always outside even if it was a cold day.  
  
He looked around the chamber as if expecting something to leap out and attack him- there was no way that he could get away with killing Kai's grandfather without there being consequences.  
  
He climbed into the scalding water, and quickly washed off all the grime that had collected on his body. It felt so good to be clean again!  
  
Although Kai had said that he could take as long as he wanted, Rei didn't want to keep the blue haired lord waiting. He wondered vaguely how Kai had disposed of the body, and what he was going to say. Kai had said that he wasn't going to hurt him- but surely a Lord wouldn't protect a slave, especially when his own safety was in question?  
  
Rei didn't know too much about the King of the Eastern Lands, but from all the tales that he had heard about King Ylie, he was someone who acted spontaneously. If he had heard that his closest advisor had been murdered, then surely he would kill Rei instantly? Or even Kai?  
  
The neko jin shuddered and sank lower into the now lukewarm water. He had to stop thinking about Voltaire.  
  
He climbed out of the bath, and wrapped a towel around his slender waist, before carefully opening the heavy wooden chamber door and padding softly into the room, where Kai was sitting on his bed, staring moodily off into the distance.  
  
"My lord?" Rei winced at the squeakiness of his voice. He was not going to show his fear.  
  
Kai whipped around, and a weight seemed to lift off his shoulders as soon as he saw the soaked boy.  
  
"You've finished." it was a statement, and Rei wasn't sure how to reply. Kai saved him from the usual 'yes, my lord' by carrying on. "That's good. From now on you will be my personal servant."  
  
Rei gasped and stared at him openly. So Kai wasn't going to punish him after all?  
  
"You will receive three gold coins a year, and you will sleep in one of my other adjoining rooms. And Rei?"  
  
"Yes, my lord?"  
  
"You are not, in any way possible, to mention Voltaire. He will have disappeared, and that's all. You won't mention any arguments between my grandfather and I, and you certainly won't say that you killed him. Is that understood?"  
  
Rei nodded swiftly. He was about to say something, then hesitated and gnawed at his bottom lip. He knew that he was probably going to be punished for this, but he had to ask anyway. "My lord... I- I wish to go home."  
  
Kai stared at him, his heart beat quickening instantly. The slave was going to leave him... Rei didn't return any of his feelings! His frustration and anger at the fact that he- the ice prince, then cold hearted lord- was actually in love with someone, and they didn't return his love, was directed in the form of a venomous glare at Rei, who gave a tiny gulp and retreated a bit.  
  
"No." he snapped sharply, and stood up. "Now get dressed."  
  
Rei sighed- there would be no way to change Kai's opinion, of that he was sure. "Of course my lord."  
  
"Here are some new clothes. Don't get them dirty, because I will not get you new ones."  
  
Rei nodded and turned his back to Kai as he peered at his new clothes- they consisted of black, billowing pants and a loose white shirt with Kai's crest embroidered onto the sleeve. Rei had always been intrigued by Kai's crest- it was a magnificent red phoenix which was surrounded by a ring of fire. His own crest was a white tiger with burning green eyes.  
  
He heard a suppressed gasp behind him and then a cold hand press against his back.  
  
"My lord? What's the matter?" Rei asked, turning around.  
  
"You tried to escape." Kai's voice was matter of fact, almost cold, but the hand that stroked Rei's back was gentle.  
  
"Yes, my lord." Rei replied truthfully. The wounds on his back still stung painfully. "Your grandfather had me whipped."  
  
"Ah. Well there's a reason for disliking him." Kai smirked, and pulled back his hand, immediately missing the feel of the silky skin under his fingers. "My method of teaching a servant their place is much more painful. So don't even think about trying to run away."  
  
Rei nodded dumbly, not daring to say a word. His method was even worse than Voltaire's? That couldn't be good.  
  
Kai left the room, after shooting a last quick glance at Rei who was starting to pull on his clothes, the towel still tightly wrapped around his waist.  
  
The neko jin felt tears sting his eyes. He was never going to be able to return home, not now. Kai wasn't going to let him out of his sight, especially since he was the bluenette's personal servant. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he tried to escape again, and there was no way that the White Tigers could know where he was...  
  
The door suddenly swung open, and a boy around his age, perhaps a few years older, with flaming red hair and ice blue eyes walked in.  
  
"Kai-" he broke off and fixed Rei with a suspicious glare. "What are you doing in here, slave?"  
  
I'm a servant now, Rei wanted to snap, but bit his tongue and bowed submissively. "Lord Kai just gave me my new uniform, my lord." he presumed that the stranger was a lord, judging by the fineness of his clothes and the jewels that shone brightly on his fingers. "He ordered me to get dressed here." he paused then quickly added "Lord Kai is in his office."  
  
The redhead snorted. "Typical. That idiot is always working."  
  
Rei chuckled softly. "May I get you anything, my lord?"  
  
The boy shook his head. "Just tell Kai that Tala's here. And tell him to get his ass over to me immediately."  
  
The black haired boy's eyes widened at Tala's language, before he remembered his place and nodded hastily. "Of course, my lord." (a/n: this is set when swearing as considered extremely rude)  
  
"Good." Tala looked him over and smirked, obviously liking what he saw. "And tell Kai that I like his taste."  
  
The blue eyed boy's smirk grew wider- if that was possible- and he left the room. Rei stared after him, not sure what to make of the stranger. What did he mean?  
  
And tell Kai that I like his taste... what taste? Rei frowned, confused. He shrugged and pulled on his pants, before entering Kai's office.  
  
"My lord?" he asked, after watching the crimson eyed boy frown deeply over a piece of paper for a while.  
  
"What?" he glanced up at Rei, and his expression seemed to soften. "Is it urgent?"  
  
Rei smiled. "I was asked to tell you that Lord Tala is here, and that he wishes for you to -er- see him immediately."  
  
Kai chuckled. "I bet that wasn't exactly what he told you. Did he say anything else?"  
  
"Um, yes, he also said that he likes your taste." Rei watched, interested, as Kai's face darkened and he gave a low growl of anger.  
  
"Did he say anything else? Did he do anything?"  
  
"Um.. no, my lord."  
  
"Good." Kai stood up and walked quickly to the door. He hesitated before exiting the room. "Rei? Remember that you obey only me. If anyone, and I mean anyone wants you to do something that you don't like, or don't wish to do, then you may deny their wishes. As long as it's something extremely important, though."  
  
Rei nodded, wondering at the seriousness of his tone. He returned to Kai's- and now his as well- rooms, wondering what he should do.  
  
Finally he decided to have a small nap. He laid down on the rug that was right next to Kai's four poster bed, and curled himself into a small ball. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.  
  
The next chapter will take me a bit longer to write, I'm sorry- but school calls (unfortunately) and I have so many projects and stuff to do... sigh please read and review!!!! And no flames please. 


	4. peace treaties and the such

Yes, this chapter is horribly short. I'm sorry!! I'll try to make the next chapter a bit longer, but I can't promise anything. TT Thank you to all the reviewers!! I love you all!!!   
  
To:  
  
Bluumberry: I totally agree!! All my asterixes have disappeared! . annoying!! I don't know how to make them stay... also I can't have any words in italics or bold. .  
  
The tigris: I hate school too... blah... we have so many tests and stuff...  
  
Warning: this is a yaoi fic, which means boy boy. Don't like, don't read.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblades. If I did, Mariah would be gone, and Rei and Kai would be together!!  
  
"..." – speech  
  
'...' – thoughts  
  
... - something said in the Forbidden Language  
  
- change of scene/ time has passed  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Kai entered his room, wondering where in the gods Rei was. He hadn't seen Rei for numerous hours, and he was starting to get worried about the raven haired boy.  
  
He pulled off his clothes, and changed into a pair of shorts, and guessed that Rei had returned to his own chamber. He gave a defeated sigh and walked over to his bed. His foot met a sort object, and he stumbled, cursing madly. To his surprise, the object gave a small mew like sound, and shifted.  
  
He lit a torch, and found Rei fast asleep on his favourite rug. A smile graced Kai's stern features, and he gently picked up Rei, who was fast asleep, and placed him on the bed. He wondered what to do now- Rei probably wouldn't want to share a bed with him, but there was nowhere else for him to go.  
  
Finally Kai gave a snort- he would deal with it in the morning- and climbed into bed next to Rei.  
  
Minutes had passed, and Kai was just drifting off to sleep when he felt a small face press against his back, and he stiffened.  
  
What in the seven realms...? He twisted around and Rei immediately snuggled up to him, gentle purrs sounding from the back of his throat.  
  
Kai's crimson eyes lit up, and he enveloped Rei in his warm embrace, allowing the neko jin to rest his head on top of his chest.  
  
Soon he was fast asleep- the best sleep he had had in many, many years.  
  
Rei's eyelids fluttered open, and he looked around himself with bleary golden eyes.  
  
Where was he? He could remember falling asleep on Kai's rug... but since when had the rug been so damned tall?  
  
Taking full stock of his surroundings, Rei realised two important things- 1) he was in KAI's bed. Repeat, his bed. 2) a pair of strong arms were wrapped around his waist.  
  
He uttered a small 'eep' and twisted around to come face to face with Kai, who was watching him with serious crimson eyes.  
  
"My lord!" Rei wondered what he should do first- start blabbing his deepest apologies and wish to the high heavens that he wouldn't be killed, or run away as quickly as possible.  
  
"Next time you should just use the bed, instead of sleeping on the rug." Kai's soft voice caused a pink tinge to appear on Rei's tanned cheeks.  
  
Without his consent or encouragement, Rei's hand reached out and gently traced the outline of one of the blue triangles on Kai's face.  
  
Those triangles had intrigued Rei ever since he had arrived- it had to be an Eastern custom, because nobody in the Forbidden Lands ever marked their faces.  
  
Kai tensed slightly, then relaxed under Rei's soft touch, and unconsciously inched closer to the neko jin, who's touch grew more confident.  
  
"Rei..." Kai whispered roughly, and cupped the raven haired boy's face with one hand. He rubbed his thumbpad over Rei's soft, rose coloured lips, his breath hitching in his throat.  
  
He had to be dreaming- there was no other sane reason for Rei to be looking at him with that much fire in his golden eyes.  
  
Loud knocking on the door interrupted the moment, and Kai cursed loudly, causing the person on the other side of the door to chuckle.  
  
"You busy, Kai?"  
  
"No! I mean, yes!" Kai swore again, much to the amusement of the other person whose laughter was echoing throughout the corridor. "Meet me in my office in a few minutes!"  
  
"Whatever you say, boss."  
  
Rei recognised the voice as belonging to Tala. He immediately pulled away from the bluenette and fumbled around with the blankets, trying to get out of bed.  
  
A hand on his shoulder stopped his movements, and Rei looked at Kai questioningly.  
  
"Stay. Don't worry about getting up right now- I need to bathe first so you can sleep for a while longer."  
  
Rei nodded, gratefulness shining in his eyes. "Thank you, my lord. What would you like me to do today?"  
  
Kai hesitated. "Just come to my office as soon as you're changed, and I'll give you your duties then."  
  
Rei nodded, his cheeks still a bright red. He couldn't believe that he had dared to stroke his lord's face!  
  
Kai's grip on his shoulder tightened, and he leaned in close to the hardly breathing neko jin, and kissed him gently on the cheek.  
  
"Don't take too long." he whispered and disappeared into the bathroom. Rei stared at the shut door, confusion filling his every sense, along with deep contentment.  
  
Kai liked him- he had to, otherwise why would he have kissed him? A large grin split his face, and Rei buried himself under the numerous blankets that lined Kai's bed. Life was starting to get better.  
  
Kai soon came running out of the bathing room, and went into one of his other rooms. He came back, fully clothed, and hesitated at the sight of the lump on his bed.  
  
"Rei?"  
  
"Mmm?" a head poked out from underneath the blankets, making Kai smile.  
  
"You may have a bath now. I'll see you in my office later."  
  
The head nodded, then disappeared straight back underneath the blankets. Kai laughed, then left the room. He entered his office, and found Tala sitting on his seat, grinning knowingly at Kai who glared back at him.  
  
"Someone sounded busy this morning. I didn't see your slave around either."  
  
"Don't make presumptions." Kai snapped.  
  
Tala raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Oh really? Because you two looked really comfortable this morning in each other's arms when I walked in."  
  
"What?" Kai demanded, spluttering slightly. "But you never came in! Why didn't I see you?"  
  
"That's because you were still asleep." Tala leaned forward, resting his elbows on the wooden desk. "Tell me Kai, how long is this little toy going to last this time?"  
  
"He's not a toy!" Kai growled. "He's just my servant."  
  
"Oh really? I believe you." the knowing smirk on the redhead's face said that he thought otherwise. "So... what's this about a peace treaty?"  
  
Rei came running in at that moment, his clothes looking as if they had been tossed on hastily in the dark.  
  
Tala grinned at him. "Hello, kitten. Someone looks as if they were in a rush this morning. Bit busy doing something else, perhaps?"  
  
Rei frowned, puzzled. "Pardon, my lord?"  
  
'Why do nobles always have to speak in riddles?' Rei wondered, conveniently forgetting that he himself was royalty.  
  
"Don't worry, kitten."  
  
Kai looked absolutely livid at the nickname that Tala had given Rei. His hands were clenched into fists at his side, and a scowl darkened his features.  
  
"Shall we get to business then?" he asked, using his no nonsense tone which seemed to have no affect on Tala whatsoever.  
  
"Sure." the redhead shrugged off the evil glare that Kai had sent his way. "Tell me more about this peace treaty."  
  
Rei's slightly pointed ears pricked up, and he leaned forward, obviously interested. Neither of the lords noticed, and Kai started to explain his plan. "For centuries we've been at war with the Forbidden Lands, and since Voltaire is now thankfully dead-"  
  
Rei gasped, shocked. Kai had blurted out their secret! He wasn't supposed to tell anyone- he had said that he wouldn't!  
  
"Don't worry, Tala can keep a secret." Kai told Rei hurriedly. "He's been my best friend since we were little children, he won't tell anyone. Won't you?"  
  
Tala nodded vigorously. "No, not I. I won't tell a soul."  
  
Rei relaxed a bit, still not off his guard. He wasn't the best fighter in the Forbidden Lands for nothing.  
  
"Anyway. As I was saying- now that Voltaire is dead, we can start talking about peace treaties with the Forbidden Lands. We're losing more and more soldiers every year, fighting with the White Tigers. I've sent a runner to their clan, telling them that I want to negotiate with them."  
  
"And have they accepted?"  
  
"Surprisingly, yes. Unfortunately they can't do much at the moment, since their King is dying, and the heir to the throne is missing."  
  
Tala frowned, his normally playful face sombre. "Their heir is missing? Does anyone know where he is?"  
  
Rei felt guilt gnaw at his insides. He shouldn't have run off like that- now his clan were in trouble, and it was all his fault. He opened his mouth to tell Kai and Tala that he was the heir to the throne of the White Tigers, then quickly shut his mouth again.  
  
He didn't want Kai to know- their master/servant relationship was fine, and he didn't want the bluenette to treat him any differently.  
  
"No." Kai shook his head. "He's been missing for a while now. But that doesn't matter- they'll find him sooner or later. He's probably just playing truant, running around the countryside. Apparently he's a bit of a joke, this prince."  
  
Rei bristled. What did Kai mean, that he was a joke? He took his responsibilities seriously!  
  
Apparently Tala was thinking along the same lines, as he asked "What do you mean?"  
  
"Oh come on- he's only around 15."  
  
'16', Rei thought firmly. 'I am 16 years old.'  
  
"You're only 19." Tala reminded Kai, who rolled his crimson eyes.  
  
"And? That's 4 years difference. 4 years is a long time."  
  
"That doesn't explain why you think he's a bit of a joke."  
  
"Oh come off it Tala, we're supposed to be discussing the peace treaties here."  
  
The redhead shrugged, and they started to talk about the different clans, and the sorts of alliances that were most useful to them, and things that Rei wasn't interested in.  
  
A peace treaty between the White Tigers and the Eastern Lands... Rei frowned thoughtfully. This would be interesting. There was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in!" Kai barked out, and a man in his mid forties, thin and balding with a nose as sharp as an eagle's beak, walked into the room.  
  
"My lords." he bowed fevrently to Kai and Tala who hardly glanced at him. "I am Master Drael."  
  
That made Kai look at him. "So you're the language master, are you?" he took in Drael's appearance and raised an eyebrow. "I hope you're as good as you think you are."  
  
"What's he doing here?" Tala asked, frowning deeply.  
  
"I am to teach Lord Kai how to speak the Forbidden Language." Drael proclaimed with a flourish.  
  
Kai's eyebrow shot even higher. "Ah. Start." he commanded, and pulled out a scrap of parchment.  
  
"You'd better learn as well." he told Tala, who glared at him, an unhappy scowl on his face, which only caused Kai to smirk mockingly at him. "Oh come on- you had to start using your brain at one point in your life."  
  
Rei laughed softly at the indignation on Tala's face. Kai glanced at him, surprised, as if only just realising that Rei was still in the room.  
  
"Rei! I forgot to give you your duties." he paused, then shrugged. "You can stay in here until I finish my lesson. Scrub the floor while you're at it."  
  
Rei nodded, somewhat disheartened at the sight of the bucket and brush, but started cleaning the floor anyway. It would be good to hear his native language again, if only for a short time.  
  
Drael began to spout some nonsense in the Forbidden Language.  
  
I am no who you but we life kill tree he said, making Rei grin. He guessed that Kai had to start somewhere. His smile disappeared when Drael told the bluenette that the sentence -or rather nonsense- he had just said was how to say 'how do you do'.  
  
This went on all morning, and Drael made up stupid sentences that made no sense, whatsoever, and telling Kai and Tala that it meant something else.  
  
Finally Rei couldn't take it any longer- how was Kai supposed to make a peace treaty with the White Tigers if he couldn't speak the language?- and stood up, brushing the soap suds off his clothes and glaring at Drael.  
  
"That's not how to speak the Forbidden Language!" he snapped, and instantly everyone's eyes were fixed on him.  
  
Drael scowled at him. "What are you talking about, slave?"  
  
"He's a servant." Kai put in smoothly, ignoring Tala who was waggling his eyebrows suggestively and mouthing something rude to him.  
  
"Of course my lord." Drael bowed to Kai before turning back to face Rei. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"That's not the Forbidden Language." Rei felt his heart flutter in his chest- what was he doing, speaking back to a noble? But he had to- there was no way that he was going to let Kai embarrass himself in front of his clan! "You're speaking nonsense."  
  
"I was speaking the Forbidden Language perfectly. How dare you suggest that you, a servant, would know better than me, a noble?"  
  
Rei sighed, frustrated. "You should just give up trying to teach Lord Kai how to speak the Forbidden Language."  
  
"Oh?" Drael cocked an eyebrow, obvious amusement written all over the features that Rei had come to hate. "So you propose to send your lord into the enemy's land-" Rei growled softly "-unprepared?"  
  
Kai looked from Drael to Rei, his lips pressed into a tight line.  
  
"No, of course not!" Rei replied fiercely. He shuddered to think of Kai getting injured in any kind of way. He knew that Kai was a good fighter, but that didn't mean that he was invincible. "I will teach Lord Kai the forbidden language, since you obviously can't."  
  
Ok... and that was it!! Please read and review!! And no flames please!! If anyone knows how to get bold and italics on ff along with asterixes to appear please email me!! 


	5. discovery

**Author's notes: **Well, ff.net is seriously stuffing up my layout so yeah- I'm sorry about that. This story isn't long either - I'm sorry!!- but we've got careers week this week seriously boring ::yawn::

**To:**

**TigerRain:** yeah I totally agree!! - umm.. the neko-jins are serious fighters since their clans are always at war with the Eastern Lands. They're raised pretty strictly, and Rei had to attend heaps of lessons and things, but it's more along how to defend yourself and how to hunt and stuff- not like how Kai's been raised.

**And thanks to everyone who helped me with the bold and italics thing hopefully it'll work!! -**

**Warnings: **This is a yaoi fic, which means boy boy, so if you don't like, then don't read. This is a KaiRei fic. Oh, and there's a teensy weensy bit of bad language. Just one word though.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Beyblades would I be here writing this??

"..." - speech

'...'- thoughts

((...))- speech in the forbidden language

::...:: - emphasis/ accent

**Chapter 5**

Silence filled the room. Tala looked purely amused, while Kai and Drael looked shocked.

Kai wasn't sure when the slave -well, servant now- had possessed so much courage to stand up to a noble. Rei had always seemed so submissive, so obedient- he guessed there was another side to the raven haired boy that he didn't know of. But then he thought of the fight between his grandfather and Rei. Of course there had to be another side- how else could Rei put up such a great fight? He was a brilliant fighter, that much was certain.

"How dare you?" Drael's face had turned a violent shade of purple and green. He slapped Rei across the face, expecting the servant to cower and back off, but Rei stood his ground, and glared straight back at the supposed language master.

"You don't even know how to speak the Forbidden Language!!" Drael spluttered.

((Oh really?)) Rei replied, an impish grin on his face. ((I do come from the Forbidden Lands.))

"You-" Drael raised his hand, as if to strike Rei again, but a strong, pale hand grabbed his wrist, leaving bruises on his skin. Drael gave a cry of pain and tried to pull his arm from Kai's strong grip, but the blue haired boy wouldn't let go.

"Don't you dare hit my servant. Who do you think you are, pretending to be a language master?

"My lord! You mean that you believe this- this ::commoner::-" he spat out the word as if it was venom "- over me?

"Yes, I do." Kai replied calmly, his fierce crimson eyes never leaving Drael's face, though the older man refused to look directly at him. "Now leave, and don't ever come back again.

The man didn't have to be told twice- in an instant he had left the room, after shooting a final poison filled glare at Rei.

Tala looked from Kai to Rei, then back to Kai again, a slow, sly smile spreading across his handsome face.

"I'd better get running." he said. "I've got to start planning out the peace treaties. Kai, you'd best get learning the Forbidden Language. I'll see you later, kitten.

Rei nodded, his gaze firmly fixed on his feet. His heart was hammering in his chest- how was Kai going to punish him?

Silence filled the room, then Kai placed his hand on Rei's shoulder. "So are you going to teach me how to speak the Forbidden Language or not?

"I guess... if that's alright with you." Rei said uncertainly, feeling the warmth of Kai's hand spread through to the rest of his body.

Kai smiled at him, and pointed to his piece of parchment. "So what's first?

For the rest of the day Rei taught Kai the Forbidden Language, not noticing the small, frequent glances that the bluenette sent him.

"And that-" Rei bent across Kai's shoulder to point out something on the parchment, and immediately froze, noticing their closeness.

Kai's breath caught in his throat, and all he wished to do at that moment was push the raven haired boy against a wall and kss him until he begged for more. His daydreams were cut short, however, when Rei pulled back, and brushed a lock of black hair behind his slightly pointed ear.

Kai reached out and touched the point of his ear curiously. "What's wrong with your ears?

"What do you mean, what's wrong with them?" Rei shot back furiously. He forgot at that moment that Kai was a lord, and that he was just a servant.

"Nothing." Kai was surprised by the vehemence in Rei's voice. "I just mean, why are they pointed?

"I ::am:: from the Forbidden Lands." Rei replied. He hadn't meant to get so angry over Kai's innocent question, but he was proud of his neko jin heritage.

"Oh." Kai couldn't think of anything else to say. "You may go now.

Rei nodded, his cheeks a faint pink, embarrassment filling his every sense.

"I'm sorry for being rude, my lord." he said softly.

"That's fine. It was rude of me to ask. If you see Tala, can you ask him to find me, please?

Rei nodded and left. He asked one of the maids for the directions to the redhead's rooms, but he hadn't gone far when Tala surprised him by walking past him.

"My lord!

Tala looked up, having obviously been deep in thought. "Oh, hello kitten.

"Lord Kai wishes to see you. He's in his office.

"What's new?" Tala snorted, and walked off.

Kai was sitting at his desk, unconsciously ripping a spare piece of parchment into tiny scraps of paper.

"If you keep that up you could get a permanent job as a paper shredder." Tala commented dryly, and Kai sat up hurriedly.

"Tala! There you are!

"So how are your lessons going? Rei taught you anything interesting?

"Very funny. Why are you so fixed on Rei anyway?

"He ::is:: very beautiful, and extremely exotic." Tala licked his lips teasingly, and quickly ducked Kai's playful swat aimed at him. "What? Even you have to admit that he's gorgeous.

"You speak of him as if he's a toy, a mere ornament." Kai growled. "He's not. He's a human being.

"That's not what you said about your previous lovers.

Kai could find no retort to that, and kept quiet.

"So... you banged him good yet?

Kai gave a gasp of surprise, and stood up, anger radiating from his being. "How dare you say that? For God's sake Tala!

"Don't get so worked up. I'm joking." Tala grinned. "I find him just as respectable as you. I'm just having a bit of fun.

"Well don't.

"Someone's angry today. What, the kitten turn you down?

"No! I don't like him. I mean, not in that way!" Kai protested, ignoring the fact that he was probably blabbering.

"Well if you're not going to make a move on him, I will." Tala gave his customary smirk and walked out of the room, ignoring Kai's look of disbelief.

After a moment of shocked silence, Kai ran after him, desperate to find Rei before the redhead did.

He found the neko jin sitting in their room, reading one of the numerous books he owned.

"Rei! There you are!" Kai said, obviously relieved. He sat down beside the surprised boy, who put down his book and stared at him.

"My lord? Are you alright?" Rei asked, concerned. He inched towards the blue haired teen.

"Have you seen Tala around?" Jealousy shot through Rei, and he bit his tongue to keep down his anger, ignoring the metallic taste that filled his mouth immediately.

Why did it have to be Tala who had all of Kai's attention? Why couldn't it be him that fascinated the blue haired lord?

Immediately Rei felt bad- he did like Tala, for all the smirking and teasing the redhead was nice to him, even though he called him Ôkitten'.

"No." Rei tried to keep his voice calm. "I don't think-

Tala decided to poke his head into the room at that moment. His smirk widened when he saw Kai.

"Rei, kitten.

"Hmm?" Rei glanced up at him, momentarily distracted from his anger at the blue eyed boy. "What's the matter?

"Do you want to go for a walk around the city with me this afternoon?

Kai glared threateningly at him, and made signs that depicted a certain death for Tala behind Rei's back.

Tala ignored him, and held out one of his slender, pale hands to Rei, who -shocked beyond belief- hesitantly placed his own, tanned hand in his.

Kai gave a growl of anger, and he stood up, glaring so darkly at Tala that the redhead took a step back.

Rei quickly pulled away from Tala, and approached the livid crimson eyed boy. "What's the matter? Are you sure you're okay?

Kai shook his head, and left the room, not bothering to say anything to either Tala or Rei.

"Well. I think our little Kai-kins is a bit jealous." Tala muttered more to himself than to Rei.

The neko jin blinked at Tala's nickname for Kai, holding back a laugh. Kai-kins? He grinned.

"Shall we go then?" Tala took Rei's hand in his again and they left the castle.

"My lord was looking for you earlier." Rei said, feeling extremely uncomfortable, and he wished more than anything that he could take his hand away from Tala's.

Although he did like Tala -a lot- but he wasn't Kai. He couldn't explain his infatuation with Kai, but he knew that it was love, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

"Was he now?" Tala asked, amusement evident in his voice. "He likes you, you know. That's what I wanted to talk to you about.

Rei's attention was immediately fixed on him, and him only. "What do you mean?

"Oh come on- surely you've seen the way that he looks at you.

"Is this proper, my lord, to be discussing such matters?" nervousness was building inside Rei's chest, along with excitement. "Surely you must be joking.

"No, I'm not." for the first time since Rei had met him, Tala sounded dead serious. "Look Rei, ever since you've entered Kai's life, he's been relaxed, and sleeping full nights. I don't know what you're doing, but it's working.

"I swear, I'm not doing anything!" Rei protested. "Perhaps it's the weather, or-

"Don't make excuses, Rei. Please, just stay with him, ok? I love Kai dearly as a friend, and to see him happy means a lot to me. I know he cares for you, in his own little way. I'm not asking for you to love him if you don't, but just understand that he's a nice person at heart.

"I know." Rei whispered, so softly that Tala almost missed it.

He nodded. "Thank you. And that's all I ask of you.

Tala smiled comfortingly at Rei then disappeared among the throng of city dwellers.

Rei stood for a while, lost in his own confused and excited thoughts, before he returned to the castle and back to his and Kai's rooms.

Kai wasn't there, and he wondered where the bluenette was. Surely he couldn't have gone far?

He was probably working, Rei figured, and he silently entered Kai's office.

Indeed, Kai was in his office, though he was far from working. His head was resting on his hard, wooden desk, and Rei was disturbed to see his face set in a scowl, and tear stains on his painted face.

"Kai?" Rei ventured further into the room cautiously.

Kai's head shot up, and he stared at Rei in surprise. "I thought you were with Tala?

"I was." Rei fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.

"That was quick." Kai said shortly, his voice curt and cold. He turned away from Rei and shuffled a few of his documents. "I never thought of you as Tala's type.

"Tala's type?" Rei echoed, surprised. "But Lord Tala isn't interested in me!

"Oh really? So he just randomly chose to accompany you for a walk around the city?" Kai knew that he sounded like a jealous lover, but he was so consumed with envy that he didn't care any more. Rei was the only person he had ever honestly loved, and he had escaped his grasp.

"He just wanted to talk to me." Rei hesitated, then added softly "About you.

"About me?" Kai blinked, surprised. "What did he say?

"Just some things." Rei bit his lip anxiously, then asked -because he ::had:: to know, it had been bugging him ever since that day- "Why did you kiss me? This morning, in bed?

Kai went a deep red, and he stood up. "I-" he began, stopped, then grabbed Rei's hand and made him sit down while he knelt next to him. "Rei... I kissed you because- because I love you.

Rei gaped at him, unable to say anything. Kai loved him? How was that possible? There was no way that Kai could love him back- there was no reason for him to! They didn't even know each other properly- and there was no way that his father was going to let him marry another man.

"I-

"You don't have to say anything." Kai interrupted, taking Rei's silence as a rejection. "Just forget what happened, ok?" he stood up, and made as if to walk out of the room, but Rei, using his cat like speed and agility, beat him to the door, then pinned Kai against the wall, his mouth urgently seeking the bluenette's.

At first Kai was too shocked to respond, but he quicky regained his senses and returned the kiss just as fiercely and soon the tables had turned and it was Rei that found his back pressed against the wall. Kai's hands were roaming his body freely, bringing a heated blush to Rei's tanned cheeks.

There was a knock at the door and they both groaned, frustrated.

"Seems like I interrupted something. Kai, I need a word" It was Tala. Rei had the strong urge to throttle the redhead at that moment, and dump his body into the nearest pond.

"Fuck off!" Kai yelled at him, and resmed to planting teasing little kisses down Rei's neck.

There was a gasp from the other side of the door, and Rei's heart sunk. He would recognise that gasp from anywhere- it was Princess Mariah of the Black Panther clan (a/n: sorry- crap name, I know, but hey, it's late, ok? I'm not creative when it's late!).

"Umm.. Kai? I've got the Forbidden Lands ambassadors here with me..." Tala sounded nervous.

Kai swore, except softer this time, and pulled away from Rei.

"We'll finish this later." he promised, but Rei was too panicked to think coherently.

Oh Gods... Mariah was here- that meant that she was going to announce to the whole world who he was and ruin his relationship with Kai.

"I- I need to go." Rei whispered, and ran for the door, but Kai pulled him back, frowning lightly.

"You can't leave now. I need you to translate for me." he protested, and cupped Rei's cheek with one hand. "Why are you so nervous?

"I just am." Rei retorted. He glanced nervously at the door, and dropped his voice. "Please my lord-

"Don't call me that. Call me Kai.

"Please Kai-

The door opened and Tala, Mariah and Lee entered the room.

"There you are Kai! Honestly, you took your time letting us in!" Tala said cheerfully, and quickly spaced himself away from the two neko jins who had their fangs on display and claws out.

Mariah and Lee bowed respectfully to Kai, who bowed in return. They then turned their attention to the lithe figure standing next to him, and Lee was the first to recognise Rei.

"Your highness!

ooh what will happen next?? Sorry the layout has been crap recently, but stupid ff.net keeps stuffing things up.


	6. farewell

**Author's notes: **This chapter is so short, it's embarrassing. I'm really sorry!!! The next chapter will hopefully be longer.

**Warning: **this is a yaoi fic, which means boy boy so if you don't like it, then don't read it! This is a KaiRei fic.

**Disclaimer**: I own Rei's parents, and that's all I own. If I owned Beyblades I wouldn't be stuck here writing crappy fanfics, would I?

"..." speech

'...' thoughts

)((...)) - speech in the Forbidden Language

**Chapter 6**

"Your highness!"

Rei let out a defeated sigh, feeling the blood rush from his face. This was it- what he had dreaded ever since he had realised his love for Kai.

How was the bluenette going to react? He couldn't bring himself to look Kai in the eye, and instead turned to Lee and Mariah who were staring at him with disbelieving eyes.

((Rei! Where have you been? I- we thought you were dead!)) Lee cried joyously, and hugged his prince tightly. ((Are you alright?))

((I'm fine. Were you punished for my disappearance?))

((No. They just thought you were kidnapped. What happened?))

((I was taken by some guards... I've been a - _guest_ ever since.)) Rei lied. He turned to Kai who was just staring at him.

"Rei? What's the meaning of this?" he turned to Lee "Why did you call him your highness'?" Kai demanded of the surprised neko jin.

Lee frowned. "But Rei just said-" he glanced at Rei, who bit his lip. ((I thought you said you were a guest?))

((He doesn't know my heritage. I'm just staying here))

Lee and Mariah growled in unison, realising that Rei had been taken as a servant.

"What's going on?" Tala asked, as bewildered as Kai was. He stared at Rei, and suddenly everything fitted together in the redhead's mind. At least, he was getting a good idea of what was going on.

"TAKAO!" he yelled down the corridor, and soon the navy haired warrior noble came running into the chamber.

"You called, Lord Tala?" Takao asked innocently, wondering what in the seven realms he was in trouble for this time. He saw Rei standing nearby and waved cheerfuly at the raven haired boy, who waved back, though his hand motion lacked enthusiasm.

"Takao, where did you find Rei?

Takao frowned, deep in thought. Finally he replied "The border of the Forbidden Lands. Why?" he glanced at Rei who didn't meet his eyes. "What's going on?

"That's what I would like to know." Kai muttered, and leaned on the cool, stone chamber wall. "Rei, explain.

Rei took a shaky breath, then said "I'm the Prince of the White Tiger clan of the Forbidden Lands.

Confused crimson eyes drilled into his own golden orbs, and Rei twisted his hands together anxiously. "C- could I speak to you privately please my lord?

Kai pushed Rei in front of him and into his own private rooms. "You'd better explain everything.

"But I just did!" Rei protested as Kai pushed him down onto the bed, and sat down next to him. "I'm the prince, and that's all there is to know.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kai asked softly, laying a pale hand on Rei's knee. "It would've saved you so much pain.

"I didn't want to go back to the Forbidden Lands. I wanted to stay with you." Rei whispered fiercely, tears springing into his eyes. "And I still do.

A small, sad smile spread across Kai's face and he pulled the neko jin close, letting Rei rest his head on his chest. Kai ran his fingers through Rei's long, silky strands and thought things over.

There was no way that Rei was going to be allowed to stay with him now- Kai had been hoping that he would be able to take the golden eyed boy as his lover, then, perhaps as his partner. Rei would have to go back to his clan, seeing as his duties were with the ruling of the White Tigers.

But surely they would be able to visit each other! Kai couldn't imagine a future without Rei by his side.

"I love you." he said softly, and kissed Rei gently on his forehead.

"I love you too." Rei's muffled voice was barely audible. "I don't want to leave.

"You'll have to. Your duties are with your clan.

"So you _want_ me to leave?" Rei asked, turning hurt golden orbs to Kai's face.

"No! Never!" Kai protested, and increased his grip on the raven haired boy. "I would never leave you voluntarily. Don't even think about it." he hesitated. "But you're going to have to. We could still visit each other- but I can't leave my people here, Rei. But I don't want to leave you either.

Rei sniffed, and planted a kiss on Kai's collarbone. "I suppose this is good bye then.

"No. This is just a temporary parting. We'll see each other soon.

"My father would never let me visit you." Rei said sadly. "He will still hate you, even if he signs that peace treaty. He has loathed your grandfather ever since he was born.

"But I'm not my grandfather.

"He doesn't care." tears slipped down Rei's tanned cheeks, and he desperately pressed his lips against Kai's.

The bluenette returned the kiss, and pressed Rei down onto the bed, feeling the neko jin's every curve against his body.

This could possibly be the last time he would ever see Rei... his tears soon joined Rei's as he realised that Rei would probably be leaving for good.

ÔOh Gods this is so unfair.' Kai thought furiously, and forced himself to pull away from Rei. "The others are waiting. I _will_ see you again.

Rei nodded and they stood up, quickly checking their appearances, then walked back into the office where the others were waiting patiently.

Tala glanced at Rei's tearstreaked face and felt his heart sink. Now Kai would go back to living a single life of depression and despair.

"Now that that's settled, let's get talking about this peace treaty." Kai said, his voice monotonous and cold, his crimson eyes dull, not showing any of the emotions that were raging through him.

A few days later Rei, Lee and Mariah were ready to leave for their clans. Rei stood at the castle gates, holding back his tears.

Kai stood by him, a silent pillar of comfort, his hand desperately clinging onto Rei's.

It was Lee who broke the silence by shouldering his pack. "Well? Are we going to leave or what?

Tala glanced at him, surprised at the boldness of the servant. None of the servants that served Kai or him would ever dare to say that to their faces.

"Sure. Rei, are you coming?" Mariah asked, flicking a pink lock of hair over her shoulder. She smiled flirtatiously at the raven haired boy, choosing to ignore the fact that Rei was wrapped in Kai's arms.

Rei seemed oblivious to Mariah's charms, and nodded. "Sure. I guess I'll see you again.

"I _know_ I'll see you again." Kai replied, and kissed his koi for the last time.

Rei wrapped his arms around Kai's slender waist, and pressed his body against the blue haired boy's, trying to memorise everything about Kai.

Soon he was walking away from the Eastern Lands, and away from the only person he had ever loved in his whole life.

By the time that they had reached the White Tiger clan, Rei was deeply depressed and irritable.

He kept both emotions hidden away as he greeted his people who were joyous over the fact that the heir to the throne had returned.

After a brief feast Rei finally had a moment alone with his parents, Queen Kilai and King Namas (a/n: what crappy names. Grrr... damn my un-creativeness. Is that even a word? oo').

Although his father was bedridden and occasionally slipping into a dream like trance, Rei was glad to see both of his parents.

"We were worried about you, Rei." Kilai murmured softly, and hugged her son. "You're ready to take over the ruling of this clan.

"What? But father is!" Rei frowned, and glanced at his father who had snapped back into consciousness.

"No, son." he rasped out. "I'm going to die soon- I can feel it in my bones.

Rei thought that sounded a bit melodramatic- surely his father couldn't die now, not when he had just arrived back home!

Kilai saw the disbelief on her son's face and laid a hand on Rei's narrow shoulder. "We discussed this before. Your father agreed to stay alive until you came back home, and no longer.

"But that's not fair!

"Nothing's fair in life, Rei." Kilai whispered, and Rei was disturbed to see tears in his normally strong mother's eyes.

His father's breath was coming out in short, shallow gasps, and the Namas's eyes were starting to dim, the life in him slowly being snuffed out.

"No! You can't just die on me now!" Rei howled, and rushed to his father's side.

"King Rei... that sounds good..." with those final words King Namas of the White Tiger clan passed away.

Tears cascaded down Rei's cheeks, and he collapsed onto his knees, his mind refusing to believe that his father was dead.

"Shh... it's okay, Rei..." although Kilai was also crying, she was able to keep her emotions in control. "You'll be a great king...

King.

Realisation struck Rei like a lightning bolt, and he staggered with the weight of it all.

King Rei Kon.

He was king.

Kai and Rei will be together in the end, I promise!! I hated writing that chapter- anything sad to do with kai and rei makes me sad ::sniff:: please review and make me happy!!!


	7. the end

**Author's notes: **ok... I had a minor complication... since I wrote the WHOLE damned chapter out and then my $%&#$% laptop deleted it all!!!!! ARGHHHHH!!!!!

I sincerely apologise if this chapter isn't as good as it should be, because you know who to blame if it isn't ((cough)) computer ((cough))

Oh and if there are spelling mistakes, I'm really sorry cuz I have a sore index finger... and there's a really bulky plaster on it, and so the plaster kind of knocks keys that I don't really want knocked, so sometimes the words may have a few extra letters in them... sorry!

**To all my reviewers: **OMG, I love you people!! You guys are the best, and I really appreciate all the reviews you've sent me!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Well.. you know what comes next the warning and the disclaimer, so I'm just going to let you go figure and get on with the story.

!#$%&()

**Chapter 7**

Rei brushed a weary hand over his bloodshot golden eyes. It had been 6 months since he had last saw or heard from Kai. 6 long months, spent all alone, looking through a seemingly endless pile of documents which were full of words that just seemed to blend into each other, words that didn't make sense to him anymore.

Being king was tiring, and he wished for nothing more than to just lie down and truly sleep. But he hadn't had a full night's sleep ever since he had left the Hiwatari castle, and Kai, behind.

Didn't Kai care about him? Why hadn't he returned any of the letters that Rei had sent him?

Rei groaned and buried his head in his hands. This was absolute hell. There was no way that he was going to make it through the rest of his life if Kai wasn't with him.

Somehow being with Kai made everything simpler, everything so much more enjoyable.

_Argh, _he thought, disgusted with his train of thought, _I'm not supposed to be thinking about Kai, I'm supposed to be focusing on this marriage proposal... to Mariah?? _he shuddered. Although he liked the pink haired girl, he only liked her as a sister, and never as a lover.

Besides, he knew that he loved Kai, and Kai only.

"Still pining over the ice prince?" Lee asked, as if reading his mind. He walked over to stand next to his king. "Come on Rei, cheer up.

"How can I?" Rei asked sadly. "It's like half of me is missing.

"Now you sound like Mariah when she pines over you." Lee shuddered. "And that's not a good thing. You've got to snap out of it, Rei. Honestly- it's quite sickening.

Lee's comment caused Rei to laugh, and his mood to brighten, if only slightly.

"You're right. Can you get one of my advisors to finish this please? I'm going to go to my room.

Rei's room was really a small tent at the edge of the clan fire. All of the clan lived in small tents, though the dining hall -which was also another tent- was the size of an actual hall, and had taken a while to put up.

"Your majesty!" an advisor ran up to him, and Rei hid a frustrated sigh.

What did those annoying pests want this time? He turned around and plastered a (fake) patient smile on his face. "Yes?

"Here, a letter for you, from the Hiwatari castle.

Rei's face lit up, and excitement built within his chest. A letter from the Hiwatari castle! Was it Kai? He ripped open the letter and hastily scanned the contents.

_Hello kitten,_

_Guess who?_

_How are you anyway? Living up to the expectations of your clan? I heard that you're king. Well done- I'm sure you make a great one._

_You're probably wondering why I'm writing. Well, I was wondering about these peace treaties that everyone is talking about but doing nothing about._

_Would it be possible to negotiate about a peace treaty between our two lands? If you agree, then we'll send over a party straight away._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Tala_

_p.s we all miss you_

Rei gave a disappointed sigh, and threw himself onto his bed, which consisted of a few furs and blankets on the ground.

The letter slowly fluttered onto the ground, and Rei's tears slowly joined it.

Didn't Kai care about him? He said that he would write, that he would visit, but Rei hadn't even heard a single word from the bluenette.

He shook his head. These thoughts would get him nowhere. Rei picked up the letter and read it again. Then he started to write a response.

_Dear Tala,_

_Thank you. I'm grateful for your support. I'm fine, and how are you? How is Kai? I miss you all so much._

_A peace party? That sounds great. We will welcome your party with open arms, trust me- the clan is tired of the seemingly never ending battles._

_We look forward to your arrival,_

_Rei_

Checking over his letter, Rei deemed it fine, and yelled for one of the messengers.

"Yes, your majesty?" the young boy, who couldn't be any older than Rei, asked.

"Here, can you please take this to the Hiwatari castle?" Rei asked.

The messenger nodded and swiftly ran off, the letter clutched safely within his hand.

Rei smiled and re-entered his private tent, and laid down on his furs. He wondered if Kai would come with the peace party- but he doubted it.

Kai had probably forgotten all about him.

!#$%

Kai sat at his desk, glaring moodily at the opposite wall. He couldn't bring himself to look at the portrait that he had had painted of Rei.

The court artist -who had a photographic memory- had gladly drawn and painted the raven haired boy, for the 500 gold coins that Kai had paid him.

But the painting had far from put Kai at peace. The more he looked at it, the more he wanted to reach out and stroke the tanned skin, but it was impossible. It was a painting, and nothing more.

He gave a frustrated groan and slammed his fist onto the wooden desk. Why, _why_ did his koi have to be a king?

How he wanted to storm over to the White Tiger clan straight away and bring Rei back to the Hiwatari castle, but there was no way that they would be able to be with each other. They both had their own lands to look after, their own people to take care of.

"Hello, hello, hello!" a familiar voice sung out and the next second Tala had seated himself on top of all of Kai's documents on his desk. The familiar smirk was on his face, and there was a piece of parchment in his hands.

"What do you want?" Kai snapped rudely.

"Just to talk." Tala was silent for a while, fiddling with the letter. It was starting to annoy Kai. "Well... I was just wondering...

"Just get it out already!" Kai yelled, exasperated.

"Here, read." Tala handed the letter to him.

Kai scanned the letter, and his face paled slightly, whether from anger or fear -maybe surprise?- Tala didn't know, but he backed off slightly just in case.

"Since when have you been writing to Rei?" he asked, his voice dangerously soft.

"Oh... I've only sent one letter to him. So far, anyway. I just thought that since you had obviously forgotten him, maybe-"

"I have not forgotten him!" Kai shouted, his crimson eyes flashing dangerously. "And how come I wasn't told of this peace party'?"

"You've been talking about sending a peace party for ages, Kai. Just because you've found that Rei is the king of the opposing land doesn't mean that your plans have to be put on a halt." Tala grinned. "Oh come on- you get to see Rei again!

"What do you mean, _I _get to see Rei? I'm not the one going!

"Yes you are. _You _are going, along with several other people." seeing the disagreeable look on Kai's face, he quickly added "I've got everything sorted. Don't fret.

"I'm not fretting." he muttered. "Fine. I'll go.

"Good! Because I'd hate to unpack everything again!" Tala laughed and clambered off the desk.

"You packed for me?" Kai demanded. "How did you know that I would accept?

Tala rolled his eyes. "Go figure." he left the room, leaving a thoughtful Kai behind.

He was going to see Rei again... a large smile spread over his usually stern face.

He was going to see Rei again!!

!#$%

A few days later the peace negotiation party from the Hiwatari castle arrived at the White Tiger clan lands.

Kai stood in the midst of the throng of neko jins, looking this way and that, searching from his koi. Where was Rei? Surely, since he was king, he would come and greet them?

As if reading his mind, Lee said "His majesty, King Rei Kon, will greet you properly tonight, before we gather for dinner.

Kai nodded, showing none of the impatience that he felt on his face. Tonight seemed so far away. He wanted to see and feel Rei _now._

!#$%

The night finally came, and Kai sat with the rest of the party at the edge of the large fire that burnt in the middle of all the tents. All the neko jins stood around it, shirtless, their long hair let out. Muscles were flexed, and tanned skin glistened enticingly.

But still Rei hadn't emerged from his tent, and Kai's patience was thinning rapidly. His crimson gaze never left Rei's private tent, and he wondered why Rei had to wait until just before dinner. Was something special going to happen?

He was pulled out of his thoughts when some of the men and women on the edge of the fire started beating on drums, keeping a steady rhythm. The Eastern Landers looked up from their conversations, and an expecting silence fell over everyone.

A slender figure slowly approached the fire, and Kai's heart churned in his chest as he realised that it was Rei. It had to be- Kai knew exactly how the golden eyed boy moved, how he held himself. It _was _Rei.

Rei clenched sweaty fists at his side. He was so nervous... Was Kai among those in the peace party? He wasn't sure- all Tala had said was that 14 men and women were coming, but he had never specified _who_.

His heart almost stopped when he saw the familiar, two toned, spiky blue hair next to the fire, and the same crimson gaze, burning with desire and longing.

Their gazes locked for a split second, then Rei was reminded of his duties as king when the drumbeat picked up.

His hips swinging provocatively side to side, he started to dance. His feet moved to the beat of the drums, and his graceful body twisted and turned, giving him a boneless grace.

"This is the welcoming dance." Lee muttered to Kai who found that he couldn't take his eyes away from the dancing Rei. "It is performed only by royalty, and only at special occasions.

"It is an honour." Kai murmured, trying to keep his voice calm and collected. It wouldn't do to show how much effect Rei had on his senses.

Rei unconsciously did the whole dance, his mind fixed on Kai, and Kai only. He didn't even notice all the other people around the fire, all he saw were those crimson eyes that spoke volumes of love.

The drums came to a halt, and so did Rei. His breath came out in small pants, and his skin glistened with sweat, and suddenly he realised that the dance had ended.

"And now to the feast!" one of the advisors called out, gathering a group of joyous yells.

Everyone moved off to the dining tent, with the exception of Rei and Kai, who stayed exactly where they were, still staring into each other's eyes.

After a few minutes of stunned silence, Kai stood up, and hesitantly walked towards Rei.

How would the raven haired beauty react to him? Would Rei be angry at him, because he never replied to any of the letters he had sent?

His doubts were pushed aside when Rei threw his arms around him, burying his face into the crook between his neck and shoulder.

"Oh Gods, Kai..." Rei murmured, unable to stop the tears from rolling down his face. All of his anger and sorrow were playing up at once, and Rei sobbed uncontrollably into Kai's shirt. "I missed you so much...

"I missed you too." Kai murmured, his voice thick with pent up emotions. "I'm so sorry, Rei.

Rei brushed a hand across his eyes, and sniffed a few times. "What for?

"I never replied any of your letters. I thought... I thought you wouldn't want to hear from me... I thought you'd be too busy with your duties to your clan." Kai said.

"Then why would I have written to you?" Rei retorted, a bitter note in his voice. He pulled back, so that he could look into Kai's face, which was twisted with pain.

"Please forgive me.

"Why should I?" Rei asked, his eyes burning with anger. "You just _disappeared_!

"Because I love you." Kai whispered. All of his nerves were on edge, and he hoped desperately that Rei would forgive him. He wouldn't be able to live if Rei wasn't in his life (a/n: nyahh.. that sounded cheesy xx)

Rei paused, indecision written all over his face, and Kai took the chance to place a tender kiss on his lips. Reaching out a trembling hand, he brushed a lock of black hair behind the neko jin's slightly pointed ear.

"Don't leave me again." he whispered into Rei's ear, smiling slightly when he felt Rei shiver from their close contact.

"I won't." Rei whispered back. He glanced around, and frowned when he saw one of his advisors staring at them, half submerged into shadows. As soon as he caught Rei's glare on him, the advisor left.

"Who was that?" Kai asked, following Rei's gaze.

"Aradi. One of my advisors." Rei replied, his voice tight, then tugged on Kai's sleeve. "Come on- let's go into my tent. He won't be able to spy on us then.

Kai nodded, and wrapped his arm around Rei's waist protectively, holding the neko jin close.

"You're mine now." he whispered into Rei's neck, making the younger boy laugh, a blush tinting his cheeks. "All _mine_." (a/n: well... you can guess what happens next... XD lol)

!#$%

Rei awoke the next the morning, and stretched. Kai's arms were loosely draped over him, and Rei had to grin at the innocent look on Kai's sleeping face.

How different he looked when he was asleep- all the sterness and worry disappeared, and he had the look of an angel.

_A fallen angel? _Rei mused, and a grin spread across his face. _My angel._

He pressed a kiss on Kai's forehead, and reluctantly pulled himself away from Kai and the warm rugs. He had his duties to take care of, and documents to fill out.

He sighed. Sometimes he wished that he had never been born into royalty. As soon as Rei entered the tent that served as his study, he was the focus of numerous glares.

"Your majesty!" his advisor- Aradi- approached him, a frown on his face. "How could you associate yourself with the Hiwatari lord? He is not worth your time.

Inwardly, Rei burned with anger. How dare this man, who had no idea of what Kai was really like, tell him what to do, and what not to do?

"I love him, Aradi." Rei said quietly and coldly. "And I shall do what I like.

_You _may love him, your majesty, but does he love _you_? Or is it simple desire?" Aradi asked slyly.

Rei hesitated. Of course Kai loved him- he had said so before... hadn't he? Maybe he had just imagined Kai saying it... But the night before- Kai had seemed so protective, and so glad that they were together again- that couldn't possibly be just desire?

Aradi saw the indecision on the king's face, and decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"Your majesty, a man who has killed his own kind cannot love, and a man like that has no heart." he said.

Rei bit his lip anxiously, and looked around the tent for support. All the other advisors' eyes were fixed on him, and they contained not a single drop of sympathy.

"I need time to think this out." Rei said, and stalked out of the tent. He returned to his private tent and silently slipped inside.

Kai was already awake, and he was just lying on the rugs, dressed, staring at the roof of the tent, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Kai?" Rei asked quietly, not really wanting to disturb him.

Kai shot up, a surprised yet happy smile on his face, and he beckoned for Rei to go over to him.

Rei did so, and as he lay within the circle of his koi's arms, he wondered if the advisors were just lying to him again.

"Kai... do you love me?

Kai stared at him in surprise.

How could Rei not realise that he loved him? Kai wondered indignantly.

"Of course I love you, you fool. I've loved you since I first laid eyes on you." he said, and saw the relief on Rei's face. "Why? What happened?

"My advisors... they were trying to convince me that I shouldn't stay with you, and that you don't love me."

"How dare they!" Kai snapped, his crimson eyes burning with anger. "I'll kill them!

"No, Kai, don't! I mean, it would serve them right, but you can't just kill them!" he sighed. "I don't know what to do, Kai. I can, I suppose, just banish all my advisors, but then the clan would be in turmoil- we _need_ the advisors. As much as I hate to admit it, they know this clan better than anyone. They know how to bring money into our lands."

"Surely you could just tell them to keep their noses out of your personal life?" Kai asked reasonably. It had always worked with him.

Rei smiled sadly. "I could, but the advisors are so tricky, especially Aradi. They'll spread rumours about you and me, they'll say that I'm abadoning my clan, and so on forth. You don't understand, Kai, they'll never give me a moment's peace, as long as they're alive."

Silence fell over the duo for a second, until Kai finally broke the silence.

"You want to end this, don't you?"

Rei stared at him in disbelief. End it? End the happiness that kept him alive?

"Are you mad?" he whispered in shock. "Of course not! I love you, Kai, and that will never change, but how are we to be together? I suppose I could figure something out with the advisors, and a bit of bribery will help, but still..."

"Still what?" Kai demanded.

"Your castle... my clan..." Rei whispered. "What about them?"

Kai hesitated, and bit his lip.

"Just promise that whatever happens, you'll stay with me to the end.

"I promise." Rei replied swiftly without any hesitation. He reached out and stroked Kai's cheek tenderly.

They remained like that for a while, until Rei heard the lunch bells toll, and sighed. "I should be going. The advisors will want to talk to me again, I just know they do."

"Why should you do anything that they say?" Kai whispered. His face was buried in Rei's mass of raven coloured hair, his arms wrapped tightly around Rei's lithe body. "This is your clan, these are your people. You should be able to take care of your own life."

"I know." Rei heaved another sigh. "I have to go." he reluctantly pulled away, and strode out of the tent with a wistful look back.

Rei entered his office tent, and sat down at his desk, without a single glance at any of his advisors.

Aradi approached him, somewhat surprised. "Your Majesty?"

"What?" Rei asked, without looking up. He shuffled through all the papers needed for the peace treaty, glancing at each one briefly.

"You haven't said anything about Lord Hiwatari."

"What should I say?" Rei asked, a strange glint in his eyes.

"I- well..." Aradi looked at his fellow advisors. Several of them shrugged, and went back to their duties, not truly interested in their King's love life. "Your majesty, you can't possibly mean to say that you actually _think_ that the cold hearted lord loves you.

"I don't _think_ that he loves me, I _know_ that he loves me." Rei shot back. "Since you're so worked up over it, why don't you go ask Kai yourself?" He turned to the other advisors. "Does anyone else have a complaint to make about my personal life?" he demanded, looking each advisor in the eye.

They all looked at their feet, embarrassed. Aradi backed off a bit, not able to meet Rei's angry golden gaze.

"I- I guess it doesn't really matter..." Aradi muttered.

A small, triumphant smile spread across Rei's catlike face. He carried on with his documents, content that his problems with the advisors had been settled.

Kai lay staring at the tent roof.

_Rei's right. What am I going to do about my castle and his clan? I can't force him to come and live with me- that would be cruel. He would be stuck in a foreign land with people who mock him for his cat like features and abilities._

Kai sighed, and sat up slowly, enjoying the feel of Rei's soft, warm furs against his skin.

_I can't believe that he actually loves me... _he smiled, a rare sight on his face. _I wonder where he is?_

He poked his head out of the tent, and watched as several neko jin families milled around, and lovers walked along in a love filled daze.

_Could Rei and I ever be like that? _Kai wondered, smirking as he imagined himself stumbling along without a care in the world. _I don't think so._

"What are you thinking about?" Tala walked up to him, and pushed his way into the tent, smirking widely. "I see you've made yourself comfortable in Rei's _private _tent.

Kai glared at him. "Do you have a problem with him and I being lovers?

"So you have progressed to that stage... Already..." Tala grinned and ducked the half hearted punch that Kai sent his way.

His face took on a serious edge. "How does Rei feel about this?

"He loves me." Kai replied confidently. "But..." Kai looked at his hands.

"But?" Tala prompted.

"I don't know what to do. I love him, I honestly do, but how are we supposed to be together?

Tala was silent for a while. Then his eyes lit up with an idea, and he stood close to his long time friend.

"What would you do for him?" the redhead asked softly.

"Anything." Kai replied instantly, and Tala could tell that the bluenette was telling the truth.

"Would you go against his whole clan for his love?

"Of course." Kai said, not sure where this was going. Why would Rei's whole clan go against him?

"Would you die for him?" Tala asked.

Kai felt this was getting a bit stupid. "Of course I would, you twit. What is this, the stupid question game?

"No, it's just..." Tala hesitated. "Rei needs an heir. I've done some digging around, and found that the closest relative he has here is his cousin, but the guy's only 6.

"What are you saying?" Kai demanded. He could feel fear rising within his chest. Was Tala saying that there was no way that he and his koi could be together?

"Rei would never be able to leave his clan, Kai." Tala bit his lip. "Which means you're the one who's going to have to leave.

"What do you mean, leave? Leave who?

"Your people, of course, you idiot. You're the one who's going to have to leave your castle and move here. Tell me you have an heir who's old enough.

There was a long silence, before a large grin spread across Kai's face.

"Of course." he said, a mischevious note in his voice.

"What?" Tala asked suspiciously. "Why, who did you name your heir?

"Guess.

Tala frowned. Kai had no living family members that he had heard of, and he wasn't particularly close to anyone other than him.

"I don't know." Tala replied truthfully.

"It's not that hard.

"Well it is for me, ok?" Tala snapped. "Just tell me already!

"It's you." Kai replied simply, the same infuriating smirk on his face.

Tala simply stared at him. Finally, he managed to gasp out "Me? You left _me_ in charge of the Hiwatari castle?

"Who else?" Kai asked, and he laid a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I hope you take care of the castle well.

"But-" Tala broke off, shaking his head. "You're impossible, Kai! This isn't happening.

"Yes it is." Kai sighed and peeked out the tent. "I don't have time to discuss this. I've got to find Rei, and ask him how the advisors took the news that we were lovers.

Tala shook his head in disbelief, and sat down hard on the ground. "I can't take your responsibility! It's absurd.

"Well, you can read my will and find out." Kai replied, an annoyed note in his voice. "But I have to go." he walked out of the tent, leaving Tala behind, both shocked and pleased.

Kai slid onto the seat next to Rei's, glancing around the eating tent, which was as big as the dining hall back at the Hiwatari castle.

"Well?" he asked.

Rei offered him a weary grin, and rested his head on top of Kai's shoulder, muttering something under his breath, ignoring all the stares that were sent their way.

"What was that?

"I said, it was horrible." he groaned softly. "I hate politics.

Kai laughed softly. "Don't we all. Well? What did your advisors think?

"They're not exactly happy, but they'll live." Rei grinned, baring his sharp teeth. "What have you been up to this morning?

"Talking with Tala." Kai smirked.

"About what?" Rei pressed.

"Well..." Kai wondered how the neko jin would take the news. "Remember how we promised to never leave each other?

"Yeah..." Rei replied slowly. He wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

_Is Kai trying to tell me that I have to leave my clan to be with him? _Rei wondered. _I love him, but my clan has to be taken care of!_

"And I was thinking... would it be alright if I lived with you?

Stunned silence settled between the pair, and Kai wondered vaguely whether Rei's jaw would hit the ground- it was hanging wide open.

"Y-you would give up your castle and your people for _me_?

"I would do anything for you." Kai knew that line was well used, and old, but he meant every word of it. "Even if that means giving up a castle I absolutely detest, and people I don't know.

Rei laughed happily, and hugged him tightly. "I love you so much, Kai." he whispered into the bluenette's ear, not wanting any of the curious neko jins sitting around them to hear.

"I love you too Rei." Kai's hard crimson orbs seemed to melt into warm, fiery ponds of red. "And nothing is ever going to change that.

"Nothing," Rei agreed, purring softly. "Nothing at all.

The End

!#$%&()

**Author's notes: **Well. That's it. grins happily I FINISHED!!! YIPPEEE!!! Ok, so it was a crap ending (and a crap chapter)- but I finished!!! You wouldn't believe how hard it was to write. Damn writer's block... I seem to be able to think up new ideas really quickly.. it's just finishing the stories that's the problem... ah well...

Your thoughts and comments are welcome!! No flames please- but I adore constructive criticism!!!!


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